


Project Vanguard

by Aeon_Wolf



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Based on the Netflix movie Spectral, Character Death, F/F, Some OOC, War AU, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-04-18 11:55:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14212608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeon_Wolf/pseuds/Aeon_Wolf
Summary: Government contracted assassin, Sara Lance's expertise and skills are needed to help combat a mysterious force in the war-torn country of Moldova. This force is killing US special operations soldiers with frighting methods. There, she meets CIA agent Ava Sharpe in charge of covert operations in the country. The two butt heads but eventually have to learn to work together, with the help of the elite Legends team to find and neutralize the threat before it gets out of hand and becomes an uncontrollable killing force.OrAn Avalance fic based on the Netflix movie, Spectral.





	1. Prologue

Snart heard the whistling before the explosion. He ducked behind a pile of rubble next to a half destroyed wall. He crouched down, clenching his gun tightly. Conducting a midnight raid during the Moldovan civil war was not what he had in mind when he joined spec-ops but where his squad went, so did he. 

“Waverider base, I’ve been seperated from my team. Requesting backup.” He said into is comms. He laid low, waiting for a response as another explosion lit up the night sky. He covered his head. 

“Base, this is Snart, how far out is backup?” He impatiently asked again. He was a sitting duck out in the open without his team. He was mentally kicking himself for getting seperated from them. 

“Snart, backup is ten minutes out. Advising you stay put.” The radio operator back at Waverider base replied. Snart groaned. He didn’t have ten minutes to spare. He was going to get himself killed if he didn’t remain moving. The insurgents had a knack for picking off stragglers. 

“Base, I don’t have ten minutes. I’m going.” He said as he gripped his gun, moving quickly from his position to another point of safety. 

“Snart, no. Wait for your backup!” He heard through his comms, but he ignored them. He ducked into a nearby building, keeping his gun at the ready. His hyperspectral goggles not picking up any signs of life. He walked down an empty corridor as another explosion rocked the ground, forcing him to duck and cover his head in case of falling debris. 

“Snart, where are you?” Base radioed. 

“Taking shelter in a building.” He whispered, continuing to walk down the hallway cautiously. He came to a room and looked down. He saw dead bodies, both US soldiers and insurgent. “Base, found friendlies and insurgents, all dead.” He said, bending down to check the bodies. He noted that the eyes of the dead, both sides, were fully white, like their pupils had been erased. Snart frowned before hearing a noise from a nearby room. 

He jumped up, gun pointed towards the sound. He slowly proceeded forward to the room. He pushed past the ripped piece of fabric that had once covered the doorway to find an empty room. Snart frowned before seeing a faint glow that hadn’t been there a second ago. “Base, are you seeing this?” He asked, knowing that they could see it through his goggle camera. 

“We see it Snart. What is that?” They asked. He didn’t know the answer. It looked like lightly glowing wisps of fog. He held his gun up, slowly removing his goggles. He furrowed his brow as he saw nothing in front of him. 

“Base, there’s nothing there.” He whispered, his trigger finger quivering. He put his goggles back on, seeing the fog had taken a more solid form, almost in the shape of a human, except where he expected legs to be, instead there was just more mist. 

“What the -” He said to himself before the humanoid shaped mist charged at him with a horrifying, unnatural screeching sound. Before Snart even had a chance to pull the trigger on his gun, the mist slammed into him with a loud snapping noise and his body briefly screamed out in pain, but not a pain he could have easily described. It was like his body was on fire but his insides were being iced to the point where it stung and caused him an immense amount of pain. Before he had a real chance to process what was happening, he was thrown backwards, his helmet being almost thrown off his head and falling a few feet away from his body which now lie dead on the ground. 

Next to him, the wispy, ghost like figure flashed a few times before disappearing from the camera’s view. 

“Snart?” Base said through his comms. 

“Snart? What’s your status?” 

“Snart!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is going to be my first Avalance fic, and in fact, the first thing I’ve written for Legends of Tomorrow in general. So please be nice to me. If you don’t know me, I almost exclusively write for Supercorp, but have really been getting into Avalance since Legends came back from the winter hiatus. So I apologize for potentially not capturing the characters quite right. 
> 
> So just to get all of this housekeeping out of the way about things you should know before deciding you want to dedicate your heart and soul into reading updates of this story. This is a fic based on the Netflix movie Spectral. If you haven’t seen it then you don’t need to, but if you have I obviously have taken some creative liberties to make the characters fit where I wanted. It’s not a loyal replica but the main idea is still the same. 
> 
> It is a war story at its heart so (unfortunately) a warning for character death has to be stated. I try not to kill off characters (because I know no one likes that) but sometimes it’s unavoidable in the way you want to tell the story. So if that makes you uncomfortable, maybe not the best story to read. 
> 
> It’s going to be somewhat of a slowburn. I don’t know how long the story is going to be word wise, I’m notoriously terrible for predicting word count. As stated, it’s a war story and sometimes it can be hard to work in a romance aspect into that smoothly, but I really wanted to write this fic and the pairing of Avalance fit better than Supercorp (which this outline was originally written for). 
> 
> I’m pretty sporadic with updates, especially since I’m working 2 part time jobs at the moment. But I usually try to update at least once a week, once every two weeks at most. Sometimes more often. It usually depends on my motivation to write. 
> 
> Anyway, for those of you that want to stick around, welcome. We’ll be introduced to Sara in the next chapter and Ava in the chapter after that. This prologue was just an introduction of sorts of the premise of the story. Kind of like the pre-intro scene in a movie. 
> 
> If you have any other questions, leave a comment or message me on Tumblr: aeon-wolf.tumblr.com. Thanks!


	2. Sara

I.

Sara Lance ran a sharpening stone along the blade of her dagger. The assassin was sitting in her room at Nanda Parbat, sitting in a chair, her feet up on her desk. She ran the stone along the blade again, a scratching sound echoing in her room. Sara had just recently returned from her last mission for the government. 

She had been contracted out by the government to assassinate a local political leader in a small South American country that had been standing in opposition to the United States’ interests in the region. The League of Assassins was a secretive organization but the government paid well for their services. And gave them freedoms that other jobs wouldn’t. They could conduct their business as they saw fit and as long as it didn’t directly conflict with the government, they would turn a blind eye to the other operations of the League. A rather convenient arrangement. 

And they usually contracted Sara Lance for their most sensitive jobs. She was, in fact, the most talented of the assassins in the League. So much in fact that when she had been killed in the line of duty a few years back, the League brought her back using the powers of the Lazarus Pit at the government’s insistence. She had never been the same after that though. She was more ruthless and bloodthirsty. Those that contracted her meant for her target to be killed. Not captured or brought back alive. Dead. Often in very painful ways.

She had also gained a slightly enhanced sense of hearing and sight. Nothing to necessarily write home about, if she had anyone to write to, but it gave her an edge over most other assassins in the League. With hundreds of successful assassinations under her belt, many but not all for their government contractors, she was all but immune to the threat of imprisonment for her kills. And not just the sanctioned ones. 

There was a light knock at her door. She set her feet back on the floor, sitting upright in her chair. “Come in.” She said. The door opened to reveal the leader of the League, Nyssa Al’ Ghul. 

“Sara. You’re back.” She said to her friend, once lover. Sara nodded. 

“Mission accomplished.” Sara said with a slight grin, flipping Nyssa a thumbs up before going back to sharpening her dagger. Nyssa leaned against the doorframe, watching her. 

“Good. I hope you haven’t unpacked.” She said bluntly. Sara frowned, setting her dagger and sharpening on her desk, sitting forward in her chair. 

“Why?” She questioned. She was looking forward to spending a little time on herself. Maybe go to Central City for a while, find a few people to bring back to her small apartment there for the night. Unwind a little from the stress of completing a hit. 

“I have another job for you.” Nyssa replied seriously. Sara groaned, putting her face in her hands. 

“Does it have to be me?” Sara asked. Nyssa nodded. 

“The government is asking for you. Personally.” 

Sara rolled her eyes. Of course it was another government contract. “Can’t you get them to pick someone else?” She asked. “Someone else has to eventually pick up the government contract mantle. I’m not going to be around forever, you know.” Sara said dramatically. Nyssa laughed once. 

“Not if the government has their way, Sara. I’m sure if they could force us to use the Lazarus Pit to keep you in commission forever they would.” She teased. Sara just rolled her eyes. 

“I’m sure they would love that. Or better yet, find a way to clone me. Have an entire army of Sara Lance, master assassin.” Sara said dramatically. Nyssa snorted. 

“Master assassin Sara Lace, my ass. Or are you forgetting the time when you -” She started but Sara cut her off. 

“I know what you’re going to say. Don’t even bring that up. I could count at least ten times when got your own dagger stuck somewhere.” Sara challenges. Nyssa held up her hands in surrender, bowing her head slightly. 

“Okay, okay. I see someone is in a little bit of a pissy mood.” Nyssa said. Sara just gumbled. “But either way, they’ve asked for you personally and it wasn’t a request I could really say no to.” Nyssa said again, with some seriousness. Sara sighed. 

“Don’t you love me anymore Nyssa?” Sara teased. Nyssa just rolled her eyes. 

“It’s not a question of love, Sara. It’s a question of if I want the government to hire one of the League to take me out for not listening to them.” Nyssa said. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s that serious?” She said, sobering a little. Nyssa nodded. 

“As I said, they left me little choice on who I was to send.” Nyssa replied. Sara nodded slightly. 

“Well, what’s the mission at least? What poor soul has pissed off our oh so powerful government this time?” She inquired. Nyssa just shrugged. 

“I couldn’t say. They didn’t send me a briefing.” Nyssa said in response. Sara looked a little surprised. Normally, the government would send the League a case file on the target, some preliminary information on who the hit was on. And the assassin sent would get a more indepth briefing from a military officer either on location or during transit. It was rare for one of the League to be sent in blind. Sara had personally never heard such a thing, but figured it happened from time to time if Nyssa wasn’t overly concerned. “All I know is that they requested you personally, And it was not just a friendly request.” 

“I hope the government knows I’m not their errand boy at their beck and call.” Sara complained. Nyssa laughed. 

“You kind of are though Sara. How many contracts have you completed for the government versus our own private League list? Like five for everyone one of ours in the last year?” Nyssa questioned. Sara just huffed. 

“Well when you put it like that… But it’s not my fault I’m one of the best assassins in the League.” Sara said with a shrug. Nyssa just rolled her eyes again. 

“Okay Ms. Top Assassin, you’re scheduled to be flown out to a small country called Moldova, out near Russia as soon as you can be ready.”

“Moldova, huh? What interest does the government have there?” Sara questioned, figuring at the very least Nyssa had pulled some information on the country. 

“The usual ‘spread the guiding light of democracy,’ and all that shit. Sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong as usual.” Nyssa sneered. “As for the country itself, it used to be a part of the Soviet Union. The Russians had control of it until a few years back. They lost control and a new government was formed. Though as you might expect, its very weak. The insurgency is comprised of military soldiers and their top generals that weren’t killed or imprisoned of the prior government. The United States is obviously backing the current government, weak as it is.” Nyssa briefed. Sara groaned. 

“I hate war zones. Far less space to operate.” Sara complained. 

“I agree but…” She started before Sara cut her off. 

“But they asked for me personally. I know, I know.” Sara said. “I’ll be ready in the morning.” She said. Nyssa nodded. 

“Get some sleep Sara. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.” 

II.

Sara fell back on her bed, groaning. She really didn’t want to take the job, but it sounded as if she had no choice. And going to a country ravaged by a civil war didn’t sound all that appealing either. Sara got up off the bed, opening her duffle bag to throw some stuff into it. She wandered over to her closet and took out a couple sets of civilian clothes, her League uniform and an assortment of other articles of clothing she thought might be useful. She throw in a couple facemasks, hand wraps, a wetsuit and a spare pair of shoes. 

Sara then went over to the weapons case that stood against one wall of her room, inputting her personal combination to the safe, opening it up to reveal a large collection of daggers, staves, swords, guns and other assorted weapons of war. She grabbed a few knives with their holsters that were used to strap to various parts of her body. She also grabbed her collapsible staff and threw that in her bag. She figured if she was going into a combat zone, it was going to be in her best interest to be mobile. Sara then walked over to a small box on her desk. She opened it slowly, grabbing something out of it. 

She held up a small necklace, a canary charm hanging from a tough, but thin metal chain. Sara gave it a bitter look before putting the chain around her neck, tucking the chaim under her shirt. It had been a gift from her now deceased sister, Laurel. One of the last things she had received from her sister, in fact. Sara knew that she and Laurel hadn’t always seen eye to eye about Sara’s profession, but she had no idea how much pain it would cause her to lose her sister. 

Sara glanced at the clock which showed it was approaching midnight. She figured she should try to get a little sleep before her departure the next day. If there wasn’t a target delivered to the League, the mission must be that top secret, which would probably cause Sara her fair share of headaches before the mission was over. 

She lie in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her life was far from perfect. Sometimes she thought about what she would have been life if she had gotten a normal job, had a normal life. Not the life of a highly trained assassin that had been brought back from the dead. But then again, this life gave her excitement, even if she was put out at being a government stiff sometimes. 

Sara rest her hands on her stomach. Sometimes she wondered if giving up her relationship with Nyssa was the right decision. At least her fellow assassin understood her. Understood what it felt like to make the kill. To be a part of the League. But despite that, Sara knew underneath it all, she and Nyssa would never work out long term. Not only was Nyssa technically her boss, but Sara didn’t actually feel anything with Nyssa. There had been a flame between them once, but with at least one of them on missions all the time, that flame had been neglected for too long. 

Sara didn’t know if she’d be able to have a relationship with anyone, ever. Which is why she was content with busying herself with random men and women on her visits to Central City during her off time. They didn’t require upkeep. She didn’t have to service a relationship with them. Not that she wanted her life to be like that. But such as it was. 

The assassin sighed, turning over onto her side, closing her eyes and allowing herself to be pulled into a light sleep.

III.

Sara groggily woke up the next morning to a knock on her door. “What?” She called. 

“Your plane will be here in two hours Sara.” She heard Nyssa say through the door. She just groaned in response. “Get your ass up, Lance!” Nyssa yelled before leaving Sara to get ready. Sara flopped onto her back, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Ten minutes later she finally gathered the will to get out of her bed before pulling on a shirt and a pair of jeans. 

She wandered into her bathroom, brushing her teeth and hair, washing her face and staring at herself in the mirror for a couple minutes. She sighed, before walking back out to her bedroom and picked up her duffle bag. She slung it over her shoulder before leaving the comfort of her room until the next time she came back to Nanda Parbat and headed to grab some food. 

She met up with Nyssa who was also grabbing breakfast. The two found a nearby table together to sit and eat. Sara set her bag down next to her before digging in. “I trust I don’t need to tell you to come back alive?” Nyssa inquired. Sara nodded cheekily.

“That would be much more impactful if I hadn’t come back alive once and here I am.” Sara teased. Nyssa rolled her eyes. 

“Sometimes I wonder why I care about you Lance.” Nyssa said dryly. Sara put on her best grin. 

“Because I’m your best assassin.” She said. Nyssa snorted. 

“You wish you were.” Nyssa shot back. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“Name one person here that’s better than me.” Sara challenged. Nyssa pretended to think about it. 

“On second thought, I don’t think your fragile ego could take my answer and you’ll need to be top of your game for this kind of hit.” Nyssa said. Sara scoffed. 

“You just don’t want to admit I’m better than you.” Sara accused. Nyssa shook her head. 

“I would never admit that because I don’t lie to the League.” Nyssa retorted. Sara put her hand over her heart, faking being in pain. 

“Nyssa, I’m hurt.” Sara laughed. Nyssa just glared at her before getting up. 

“Just see that you come back to us alive Sara. That’s an order.” She said before leaving Sara to the rest of her breakfast. 

IV.

Sara greeted the soldier that was already sitting in the transport. “Sir.” The sergeant replied. Sara just brushed him off. 

“None of this sir or Captain stuff. My rank in the military is strictly honorary.” She said. After she had been working on government contracts for a few months, the military saw fit to grant her am honorary rank of captain could be used in certain situations. She figured that this mission must have extremely high security clearance if the sergeant picking her up knew, as her rank in the military was top secret itself. They couldn’t afford to have Sara get caught during an assassination and be able to be identified as a military captain. But Sara was always careful to never get caught. 

“Of course.” The sergeant said stiffly. “We’ll be in Moldova within a few hours. You’ll be met and briefed by General Rip Hunter of special operations.” 

Sara nodded curtly. “Very well.” She said as the transport took off from her home at the League to drop her into the middle of a civil war on an assassination job she knew nothing about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that I'm so hyped about this story that I'd give you an update that's more than just a prologue that doesn't makes sense without the rest of the story. 
> 
> So yeah, Sara is a part of the League. And in this story the League is more like a assassin for hire sort of organization, rather than it's own organization with its own objective like in the Arrowverse. And yeah, Nyssa is the leader. I figured throwing in a little easter egg like Nyssa would be nice. No there's not going to be a love triangle. We're not in this story for that. 
> 
> I also couldn't resist throwing in an honorary Captain rank for "Captain Lance." I don't think that's an actual military thing, but sue me. I liked it. 
> 
> Sara will be meeting Ava in the next chapter, along with all of us getting a little bit better idea of where this story is going and what is going to happen.


	3. Ava

I.

Sara held on to her seat as the transport touchdown at Waverider base with some turbulence. The assassin jokingly saluted the sergeant before the door in the back of the transport opened, the door making a clunking sound as it hit the ground. “Thanks for the lift segreant,” Sara said before getting off the transport. She was awaited by a tall, blonde man in uniform, standing rather stiffly as she saw soldiers scurrying around, attending to their various duties. 

The man saluted. “Captain Lance.” He said formally, relaxing his stance. “I’m General Rip Hunter, head of military special operations in Moldova.” He introduced himself. Sara nodded once, looking around. She took in her surroundings. The assassin in her already plotting potential escape routes and people of interest. She knew she was supposed to be among allies, but she knew many in the military didn’t approve of the government contracting the League of Assassins. 

“Nice to meet you General.” She said casually, slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder. “Nice accent.” She teased, noting his British accent, despite being a United States military officer. The general, on his part, seemed to ignore her. 

“I assume I don’t need to tell a member of the League that your mission here is of the utmost importance and is highly classified.” He said seriously as he gestured for her to follow him. She walked quickly at his side as the two walked back towards the main base. 

“Of course General. I’m not the League’s top assassin for no reason.” Sara said with confidence. General Hunter just nodded curtly. 

“Good.” He said without a further word as the two continued walking.

“Well… what exactly is my hit here?” Sara questioned. “The League wasn’t provided with any details on the job besides asking for my services personally.” She said, extremely curious what was so top secret that even the League couldn’t have been briefed ahead of time. And they were usually trusted with the most classified information. After all, it was part of the League’s code that information on hits were to be kept secret at all costs. They did have some semblance of honor, in their own way. 

“It’s not a hit exactly.” General Hunter said curtly, offering no further details. 

“Okay…” Sara trailed off, waiting for him to continue. 

“You’ll be fully briefed when we’re not standing in the middle of the base, Captain Lance.” General Hunter offered. Sara nodded, who had slightly fallen behind him, she jogged a little to catch up. He opened the door to the base, the two of them walking down a dimly lit hallway. They stopped outside a closed door with a couple of soldiers standing guard. They saluted General Hunter as he opened the door and gestured for Sara to step inside. 

II.

Inside the room, it was also dark with the glow of a number of TV screens providing what light there was. General Hunter gestured for Sara to take a seat at the table. Sara sat down, fighting the urge to prop her feet up on the table. “So General Hunter, what seems to be your problem?” She said, resting her arms crossed on the table, leaning forward in her chair. General Hunter coughed. 

“I’m going to show you some footage, Captain Lance. I want you to tell me what you see.” He said. Sara frowned, nodding slowly. General Hunter picked up a remote and pressed a button on it. Sara stood up from the table, walking around it to get a better view of the footage playing on the screens. 

She saw what looked like helmet camera footage of a daytime raid, bangs and echos of warfare in the distance. She watched a platoon of soldiers follow the orders their commander was yelling at them. They were running past a building, the vehicle transports they used to get their men to the field scattered around. Then, what looked like a smudge on the glass caught Sara’s eye briefly before the footage moved viewing angles. 

“What was that?” Sara questioned, pointing at the screen. “Do you mind?” General Hunter nodded, rewinding the footage to the aberration.

“You spotted that fast.” General Hunter remarked. Sara just gave him a skeptical look.

“I’m a trained assassin. If we aren’t fully aware of our surroundings, that’s a recipe for disaster.”  Sara rolled her eyes. General Hunter, for his part, looked a little sheepish and coughed. 

“We’ve been calling them hyperspectral anomalies.” He informed her. On the screen, she saw what looked like a vaguely humanoid form in the lightly glowing mist. Sara crossed her arms, taking in the sight and committing it to memory. 

“They’re not natural.” She said, being able to conclude that much. There was no way something of the natural world could look like that. Not when she could see the black shadow running through the mist that looked vaguely like a skeleton. 

General Hunter nodded in agreement. He gestured for her to follow him. The two exited the room, Sara blinking a couple of times to let her eyes adjust to the change in light levels. The guards stiffened at attention, saluting the two as they left. Sara just same them a smirk and a sarcastic little salute back. 

The two talked down a nearby hallway together. “The anomalies have been a regular occurrence in the last couple of weeks. Caught on helmet cameras during raids and extraction missions. That is why you’re here.” General Hunter said. Sara frowned as they turned the corner, leading to another hallway. 

“Why me though?” She questioned. “I’m an assassin, not a detective. The League is trained to kill or capture hits, not solve mysteries.” 

“Your elite fighting abilities alone would make you a viable candidate. We have the minds here to begin researching and investigating these anomalies. And while our elite forces are the best of the best, you have unique qualities that none of them can match. Your affinity for the occult and relationship with death. We know the Lazarus Pit didn’t leave you unchanged, Captain Lance.” He said. Sara stiffened at the mention of the Lazarus Pit. It was not an experience she wanted to relive. 

“So you think my assassin skills and resurrection makes me qualified to fighting unidentified apparitions?” She scoffed. General Hunter nodded curtly, leaving little room for argument. Sara just stuffed her hands in her pockets and followed him in silence. She was getting paid regardless of her thoughts. 

III. 

General Hunter opened a door at the end of the winding hallway to reveal a brighter room, with a couple of barred, open windows that let in the natural light. Behind the desk, piled with neatly stacked file folders and the rest of the room filled with filing cabinets and other items Sara expected to see in a military base office was a woman in a dark blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, with not a hair out of place. Impressive in a warzone. 

“Captain Lance, may I introduce Agent Ava Sharpe.” General Hunter said, gesturing to the woman. She stood, reaching out to shake Sara’s hand firmly. The assassin took the outstretched hand in a strong shake. Sara looked her in the eye, which was a slight strain as Agent Sharpe was a reasonable bit taller than the assassin. 

“Captain Lance.” Ava said icily. Sara nodded just as stiffly. The woman picked up a couple pieces of paper stapled together and tossed them on the desk in front of Sara. 

“What’s this?” Sara asked, picking it up and thumbing through the pages. 

“A CINA. Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement. What you see here is classified information and may not be shared with anyone. Including your  _ friends _ in the League of Assassins.” Ava said formally. Though her voice bordered on venomous when she mentioned the League. Sara gave the agent a skeptical look but only saw seriously returned. The assassin just rolled her eyes before picking up a pen and signing the paper. She handed it back to Ava, a putout look on her face. Ava’s eyes narrowed before taking the CINA from her. She put it in an open file on her desk before putting that file into a drawer. She then nodded at General Hunter stiffly. 

“Now that that is taken care of…” General Hunter trailed off. “If you two will follow me.” He said. The two women fell in step behind him, leaving the building through a side exit.

“So what is the CIA doing here?” Sara asked. Ava gave her a look. 

“Not that it particularly concerns you, but we’re in charge of covert operations in the region. I trust General Hunter had briefed you on the situation here?” She asked. Sara glanced at the general, who seemed to be ignoring the two on their way to their new destination. 

“Nyssa told me a little bit about the background of what’s going on.” Sara said with a shrug. 

“We’re supporting the Moldovan government here. Their stability is key to gaining a foothold in the region and they would be a valuable staging base to keep an eye on our friends in Russia.” Ava said. Sara nodded, the line of thought making sense to her. Though she wasn’t sure if she necessarily agreed with it. 

“But is sticking out military here really the best course of action?” Sara asked. “Often we’ve made the situation worse. Look at the Middle East.” Ava rolled her eyes. 

“We’re doing what is best for our interests. And we’re helping to take down dictatorial governments that are oppressing their people.” She said with a matter of fact tone to her voice. Sara frowned. 

“But is a foreign country coming in and meddling in affairs we really have no basis to understand particularly helping either?” She pressed. But before Ava had a chance to retort, they reached another building. 

“We’re here ladies.” General Hunter said abruptly and Sara suspected it was to keep the two from having a verbal brawl in the middle of base. He saluted the guards standing at the entrance to a chain link fenced off area with a building standing up on what looked like stilts. He opened the fence, the assassin and agent following him up the stairs. He let them into the building, which opened up to a room full of computers and professionally dressed individuals behind those computers. Other CIA agents Sara assumed. One side of the small building was walled off by glass. General Hunter led Sara over to the computer monitors as Ava walked over to the glass.

She knocked on the glass. “Run the footage.” She ordered and one of the men behind the glass nodded, typing on his computer. Ava then walked over to where Sara and General Hunter were as the footage was being pulled up. 

“As you know the anomalies have been showing up on our cameras for weeks, but we recently captured footage of something else.” General Hunter started as the video started playing. 

Sara watched the helmet camera footage of a man walking into a seemingly empty room. The footage was a little grainy but she could make out what looked like one of the anomalies, though more human-like than it had looked in the other footage she had seen. The skeleton more formed and it was easier to make out a humanoid form. The footage cut around to a more fully developed anomaly before it raced towards the camera. 

She watched at the footage cut again to the helmet camera being on the ground, showing a dead soldier. The anomaly was standing nearby, she could just make out what looked like feet shimmering a few times before they disappeared. She looked at the dead soldier, frowning. 

“Snart was part of Legends squad, our most decorated soldiers. We’ve been finding bodies, both insurgents and friendlies, around the city with a similar cause of death to him.” General Hunter said. Sara nodded. 

“What happened to the victims?” She questioned. 

Ava signaled to the men behind the glass who pulled up some images of the bodies they had found. Ava walked over the screen. “Nothing like we’ve ever seen. I doubt you’ve seen these kill signatures either. Despite your… colorful history with murder.” She said sarcastically. Sara had to hold back an eyeroll and smartass remark. 

“What was it?” She asked through gritted teeth. 

“Their internal organs were frozen from the inside. There were no entry or exit wounds. No sign of syringe entry either. But their skin was burned and corroded.” Ava replied. 

“We asked our Moldovan allies but they were in just as much shock as we were. The locals have been tagging at each kill site.  _ Genocide aratare. _ ” General Hunter said, looking a little disturbed. 

“Aratare?” Sara questioned. 

“It’s a local myth.” Ava supplied. “The Ghosts of War. They believe the war has stirred something… unnatural ‘As nightmarish as’ is the direct translation.” Sara looked a little skeptical. “The locals really believe in their myths.” Ava said with a shrug. Sara fought to roll her eyes again. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in the supernatural and the occult. She couldn’t afford to not. But she was skeptical of ghosts having the power to kill at a mere touch.

“And what is your working theory?” She asked Ava and General Hunter. She knew from only a few minutes of interaction that Ava Sharpe was not the type of person to believe in the unnatural. 

“We believe it to be some form of active camouflage.” The agent replied. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“In this war-torn backwater?” She challenged. “You truly believe they are capable of developing the most advanced camouflage in the world. Especially when the United States is incapable.” Sara scoffed, clearly amused by the ridiculous prospect. Ava’s eyes narrowed. 

“And what would you know of what we’re capable of? You’re just a contracted assassin whose only skill happens to be killing people with, honestly, frightening efficiency.” Ava said with a bit of venom in her voice. Her disdain for Sara’s implication that she was wrong, apparent in her voice. Sara frowned, putting her hands down on the table, looking at Ava. 

“A contracted assassin that has just happened to save your guy’s asses more than once. If you’re really with the CIA, I’m sure you know all about the contracts you’ve sent to the League. And how your reputation would have been in the bin if you hadn’t had us. Had me doing your dirty work.” Sara spat back. Ava went to retort but General Hunter intervened. 

“And we’re grateful to you, Captain Lance. And it’s why you’re here.” He said. Sara turned to General Hunter. 

“Again, why me? Why not an expert on the occult, or even science, if you guys think its camouflage? These things can clearly kill with just a touch. What good are my fighting skills going to be if I can’t even touch them?” She questioned. 

“We have a scientific expert on base. Dr. Martin Stein. He invented the hyperspectral goggles that captured this footage. He’s been developing a more powerful hyperspectral camera to get a better shot of these things. But he can’t be in the thick of things to get us a kill shot. That’s where you come in.” General Hunter said. Sara saw Ava huff slightly out of the corner of her eye, but chose not to comment. “You have the combat abilities to get him close and your… enhanced talents may give you an edge that our team doesn’t have.” General Hunter seemed to say that last part with some reluctance. Like he didn’t want to admit that someone in the League had anything over his own soldiers. “An expert is vulnerable in the field where you are not.”

Sara crossed her arms over her chest, looking from General Hunter to Ava. “I won’t be able to do this on my own.” She finally said after some thought. General Hunter had a look of relief on his face. 

“Don’t worry about that. You’ll be working with our Legends squad. They’re the best our division has to offer. The soldier that was killed, Snart, he was one of them. So this is personal for them. So try not to let them down?” General Hunter said. Sara nodded stiffly. She glanced at Agent Ava Sharpe. The agent seemed to appraising her rather closely, a look of near disgust on her face. Sara fought the desire to punch that look off her face. But knew she had to play nice. 

Sara did admire, however, the bullheadedness and willingness to meet confrontation head-on in the woman. And though she would deny it if asked, had to admit that Agent Ava Sharpe was pretty easy on the eyes. “Captain Lance, if you would follow me, I’ll introduce you to Legends squad.” General Hunter said, drawing Sara’s attention away from Ava. She nodded, following rip to another part of the base, leaving Ava behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT WAS THAT LEGENDS S3 FINALE???? 
> 
> Anyway, now that I have that out of my system, here we go. Needless to say, Ava and Sara don't have a cushy relationship early on. However, unlike in the show, it's less about Ava thinking that Sara is incapable at what she does, rather I think she feels threatened by the League and some of Sara's viewpoints. I think the fact she doesn't really have a loyalty to the government like Ava does is concerning for her too. 
> 
> Next chapter we'll be meeting most of the Legends that are included in the story. Which should be entertaining.


	4. Legends

I.

Sara followed Rip down the stairs and past the chain link fence. The two started the walk to another part of the base. “As said before, you’ll be going out with Legends squad to get that footage we need, Captain Lance.” General Hunter said briskly. Sara nodded, walking at his side. “There are currently seven soldiers in the squad, though after Leonard Snart’s death, we’ll need to be looking for someone else.” He said absentmindedly. 

“Names?” Sara asked. General Hunter glanced at her. 

“You’ll be meeting all of them shortly. But the squad is lead by Major Mick Rory along with Captain Amaya Jiwe.” General Hunter briefed. Sara smiled slightly. She had experience with Amaya in the past. 

The two entered what looked like a large warehouse building, filled to the brim with transport vehicles, advanced technology that Sara didn’t even know the military possessed, racks and racks of guns and body armor and soldiers loitering around, some attending to their various responsibilities and others just standing and chatting with one another. 

Sara saw a few soldiers glance her way, quite obviously interested in who she was. She threw a few smirks towards a few guys and a couple of girls that had been looking at her longer than a few seconds. The girls seemed to be a bit embarrassed at being caught staring for one reason or another and looked away. The men just waved at her, one of them winking. Sara had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. 

She wouldn’t deny she had a habit of flirting on missions. A lot of times, it either broke the ice with people and lowered their guard, often one of the last things they ever did, or it would fluster them enough to where they would almost run away from her, making the chase that much more fun. But she did make a habit of not getting involved with people on missions. Especially targets. That always made things more complicated, or so she had heard about the few assassins that had done it in the past. Needless to say, they had not returned to Nanda Parbat and Sara suspected Nyssa had them executed. The League took loyalty very seriously. 

General Hunter led Sara over to a transport, which was essentially a small tank. Sara heard a grunt come from the top of the transport. She looked up to see a somewhat elderly man fixing what looked like a hand canon sized camera on the top of the transport where the gun would usually be mounted. “Dr. Stein.” General Hunter called up to the man, knocking on the side of the transport firmly to get his attention. 

He turned away from his work to look down at General Hunter. “Rip. What can I do for you?” Dr. Stein asked. General Hunter gestured to Sara. 

“This is Captain Lance.” He said simply. By now a few other soldiers had wandered over into the general vicinity. Dr. Stein smiled, giving Sara a small wave. 

“You must be the young woman Rip told me they were sending. Here to help us get some more footage of the hyperspectral anomalies. I’m Dr. Martin Stein. You can just call me Martin.” He said kindly. Sara nodded, giving him a small smile. She usually tried to stay away from interacting with people on the job, but this wasn’t a normal job. She’d be working closely with these people. And Martin seemed like a kind old man. 

One of the soldiers that had wandered overlooked up at Martin. “Yo doc, why are you taking the gun off our transport.”  Martin looked down at the soldier. 

“Well, Mr. Heywood I would have hoped that you’d have inferred that it had to do with the mission that General Hunter is sending your squad on tomorrow,” Martin replied. The soldier who Sara assumed was ‘Mr. Heywood’ snorted. 

“You know doc, that gun that you’re disconnecting from its mount has saved our lives way more times than… what is that?” He asked as the soldier standing next to him nodded in agreement. Sara watched the exchange with some interest, folding her arms. 

“It’s a hyperspectral camera,” Martin said in a rather  _ scientific _ tone, emphasizing each part of the word, hyperspectral. Like somehow it would help the soldiers understand. “‘The same technology on your helmet goggles yet more powerful. Captain Lance here will be going with you on your mission to help us get better footage of the anomalies. Hopefully, we’ll be able to analyze them and come up with a way to combat them.” He finished. Finally, both soldiers turned their attention to Sara for the first time. Sara stiffened up a little bit under the scrutiny of both soldiers. 

“Nate Heywood and Wally West.” General Hunter supplied, pointing at each soldier. Sara gave each of them a nod as a greeting. Nate rubbed his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. 

“You know, when they said they were going to send back up, I thought it was going to be a SEAL or something, not some chick from the States.” He finally said. Wally chuckled, hitting his friend on the bicep. 

“Hey, you never know, maybe she’ll be able to  _ distract _ them, if you know what I mean.” Wally jested. Sara just raised an eyebrow. This wasn’t the first time she had run-ins with military men who had no clue just how deadly she could be. But before she could respond another voice intervened. 

“She could kill you with your own shirt collar before you could even think about pulling a knife on her.” A female voice said, another soldier walking over to the little gathering. Sara smiled as she recognized the voice. She turned to see Captain Amaya Jiwe giving her fellow soldiers a look that landed somewhere in between amusement and irritation. 

“You know this girl, Amaya?” Nate asked. Sara grinned. 

“Amaya, I haven’t seen you in years. Not since our little party in Iraq. It’s good to see you.” Sara greeted Amaya like an old friend. Which in some ways she was. 

“I wouldn’t call it a party exactly. But it’s good to see you too,  _ Captain _ .” Amaya said cheekily. Sara laughed. She hadn’t been granted a military rank the last time she had seen Amaya though the soldier had been a captain herself, even back then.

“Haven’t gotten yourself a promotion then?” Sara retorted playfully. Amaya just rolled her eyes. 

“Go much higher and I’ll be stuck in a desk job like General Protocol over there.”’ She said, gesturing to General Hunter. The general seemed a little putout but didn’t comment on Amaya’s jab. Sara bowed her head. 

“I get you on that one. I’d hate to be stuck pencil pushing at the League.” She said, finally name dropping her organization. She watched Nate and Wally’s faces pale slightly, Nate coughing to cover up an intake of breath. Clearly, these soldiers had heard of the League. 

“You… You’re with the League of Assassins?” Wally asked weakly. Sara smirked and nodded, looking rather proud of herself. 

“Graduated class of 09’.” Sara joked. “Already formulated at least 20 ways to kill you and your buddy here. Slowly.” General Hunter sighed at the comment. He had hoped that Nate and Wally hadn’t been the ones to show up first. As talented as they were, they did have a tendency to speak without thinking. He was just glad Amaya had shown up to intervene before Sara decided to give everyone a demonstration of her skill in the middle of the base.

Wally and Nate laughed nervously before backing off of Sara slowly, both of them giving her respectful salutes and walking away. Amaya laughed. “I think you’re the fastest one to put those two in their places. I love them to death, but they do sometimes underestimate girl power.” She said with a chuckle. Sara just shrugged.

“I’m used to it. I’m sure they won’t underestimate me again.” She said as she noticed another soldier wander over. 

“Hey doc, I think I might have some improvements to your hyperspec-,” He said before noticing Sara. 

“Hi.” He greeted, offering a hand to Sara, who shook it. The man gave her a friendly smile. “I’m Ray. Palmer. Nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Sara said, wondering what a man as openly friendly and polite was doing in the middle of a war zone. But she figured it took all kinds. 

“You’re the one that General Hunter sent for? Sara Lance.” He asked her. She just nodded. “League of Assassins. Impressive.” He said. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“Your squadmates didn’t seem to know who I was.” She said. He quickly answered her unasked question. 

“My friend was there briefly and talked about you. You know Oliver Queen?” He asked. Sara nodded. That name lived on in the League of Assassins, quietly whispered as one of the few that joined the League and left alive. 

“That explains it then.” She said. He just nodded before excusing himself to climb up on the transport with Martin to talk tech. 

“Ray’s a good soldier, but sometimes I think he just wants to take over for Dr. Stein when he retires,” Amaya said.

“I heard that!” Ray exclaimed. Amaya just chuckled. 

Their conversation was cut short when General Hunter intervened. “Captain Lance? This is Major Mick Rory. He’ll be leading the extraction mission tomorrow.” He said. Sara looked to see a rather burly and, if she was honest, grumpy, bald man standing in front her, with a frown on his face, staring at her. Sara nodded in greeting. The major just grunted in return. 

“I don’t like taking tourists into a combat zone, much less on a mission.” He said, his voice low and gruff, directed at General Hunter. Sara bristled a little bit at being called a tourist. 

“I’m not a tourist.” She cut in, her hands balling into fists at her sides. Major Rory gave her his full attention. 

“Anyone who isn’t carrying an M4 is a tourist.” He growled. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“I can carry one if you want.” She retorted with a bit of bite in her voice. The major, on his part, just grumbled under his breath before walking off. General Hunter gave Sara an apologetic look before following the major.

II.

Amaya gestured for Sara to follow her. “Hey, I’ll give you a tour of the rest of the base. I’m sure you’ve already been most of the interesting places with Rip, but hey, nothing else to do until later.” She said. Sara nodded in agreement, walking off with Amaya. 

“So, your major is… interesting.” Sara said. Amaya just sighed. 

“He can be...” She paused, “difficult to work with. I know that. But he’s a good man. He’s saved my skin on more than one occasion. Go easy on him. The soldier that was killed? Snart. That was his best friend.” She said. Sara nodded. 

“They were close?” She asked. 

“Like brothers,” Amaya confirmed. Sara, in rare form, felt sympathy for the major. She knew the pain of losing a sibling. It wasn’t something she would wish on anyone. 

“General Hunter mentioned seven members of your squad. I only saw six back there.” Sara questioned. Amaya glanced at Sara, noting the subject change. 

“Yeah, Jax. His real name is Jefferson Jackson, but everyone just calls him Jax. He’s our radio guy. He’s pretty close with Dr. Stein. Those two usually stay in the transports and monitor our progress on missions from our body cameras. He’s good at his job. I would trust him with my life.” She said. Sara nodded. Though she didn’t fully trust anyone at Waverider base, she did take Amaya’s confidence in her squadmates into account. 

“How’s life been treating you since Iraq?” Amaya asked as the two wandered around the base. Sara shrugged. 

“The usual in the life of an assassin I guess. Get a hit, kill the target, go home, repeat.” She said with a shrug. 

“C’mon Lance, there’s got to be more to you than that,” Amaya said. Sara chuckled. 

“The assassin business is rather… busy for lack of a better word.” Sara replied. “I just got back from South America on a hit when I got called here.” She said. Amaya raised an eyebrow. 

“What business did you have there?” She asked. Sara clicked her tongue.

“Can’t say. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Sara teased. Amaya rolled her eyes but nodded.

“Classified and all that. I get it.” She said simply. Sara nodded in agreement. 

“What about you? What got your squad assigned to this poor backwater country?” Sara asked. Amaya shook her head. 

“Wartorn maybe, but this country was a beautiful place before the fighting. The locals, despite all they’ve been through, are kind. Inspirational some might say. I don’t know how I could stand to get up every morning after my entire country had been destroyed by a civil war.” Amaya said sadly. 

“It’s all they have.” Sara supplied. She had seen it enough in the people of the countries she had been to. Many third-world, out of the way countries that no one seemed to care about. “When everyone uses you to prove a point or make themselves look like a good guy, you know better. You don’t matter to them. So you do what you have to. You take care of your family. And your neighbors. And your community. Since it seems like no one else will.” Sara said. She went through much the same in her past. 

“I guess you’re right. People back home in the States, they really don’t know what they have. The people here? They don’t have the luxury of even turning on the tap for a glass of water right now. Not that I’d want that to happen back home, but sometimes I wish people would be a little more sympathetic to people who live in these conditions day in and day out.” Amaya finally replied after a few minutes of silence. 

“I’m with you on that one.” 

III. 

Amaya and Sara continued to walk around the base for the better part of an hour. Amaya introduced Sara to a few more soldiers, all of whom seemed to have gotten the memo she was a member of the League. And as such gave her a rather healthy amount of respect. And they all stayed at least two arms lengths away from her. Sara had been rather amused by the whole thing. 

Finally, Amaya led Sara over to the barracks where she found Sara’s bed. The assassin was rather surprised to see her bag already set on the bed, no doubt the security having gone through it all. Though when she unzipped it, she found none of her weapons missing. “I don’t know how long you’ll be staying, but this one is all yours until you leave,” Amaya said. “I’ve got some things to do, make yourself at home. I’ll see you later tonight.” She said. Sara nodded as Amaya walked off, leaving Sara to unpack. 

Though Sara just dropped the unzipped bag on the floor next to the bed, flopping onto the bed. It wasn’t her bed back home. Much less comfortable. But it would suffice. She had made do with worse. Her mind drifted to the mission the next day. She had no clue what she was doing here. She had no knowledge of what these apparitions could be. And nothing in her resume would make her qualified to find out. 

Like she had voiced to General Hunter, she had no skills to help her. Sure, she had been brought back by the Lazarus Pit, but that didn’t give her instant knowledge of the supernatural. Her fighting skills, while probably better than most people at the base, wouldn’t come in handy when the apparitions could kill with a touch. And at the end of the day, she was an assassin. A killer. Not a detective. Her job wasn’t to solve mysteries. It was to kill people. Multiple people sometimes. And sometimes in the most brutal of ways. 

Sara just sighed. Despite her doubts, she had a feeling this mission would be interesting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's one more major character we'll meet later (not including Jax who I know we haven't formally met yet, but he's been name-dropped), but for now, that's everyone. I'm sure you can all guess who the last one is going to be. 
> 
> We'll get a little more Ava/Sara interaction as well. 
> 
> I'm glad everyone has been enjoying this so far. It's been super fun to write. We'll be getting to more action and fighting sequences soon. It'll be interesting to write since I've only ever written combat based on swords, daggers, even fists. Not more modern warfare. So we'll see how that turns out. 
> 
> Hoping to get the next chapter up sometime this week though. I've just been powering through because my motivation has been super high for this story. It's been great.


	5. Bonding

I.

Sara sat on the roof of one of the lower buildings at the base, beer in hand. She listened to various conversations around her as the base largely winded down for the evening. The light pollution was much lower in the country than in the States. She had gotten into the habit of star gazing when she was home at Nanda Parbat, so she was glad that at least she could do that here. She took a sip of beer as she leaned back in her chair. 

She jumped a little bit as someone set a chair down next to her, plopping down next to the assassin. “Settling in?” Amaya asked. Sara shrugged. 

“I try not to. I don’t like get attached.” She replied. Amaya nodded, taking a drink from her own beer can. 

“I can understand that. You don’t work with anyone else in the League do you?” Amaya asked. Sara hesitated to answer. The inner workings of the League were supposed to kept to League members, but she had to admit, Amaya had been straight with her when it mattered. So she decided to satisfy the soldier’s curiosity. 

“Nope. We mostly work alone. We’re all trained that way. Working in larger groups isn’t usually good for assassination jobs. Occasionally you’ll get a pair but that’s usually the largest group Nyssa will send on a single job.” Sara said. Amaya nodded. 

“That makes sense. It just seems a little weird to me I guess. After working with my squad for a few years, being alone seems foreign.” Amaya said. “You go into dangerous situations with no backup. No one to save your skin.” Sara shrugged the assessment off. 

“It’s the way of the League.” She said simply. She glances down below where she and Amaya were sitting, seeing Ava making a phone call, sitting on a low wall within eyeshot of the pair. Amaya noticed Sara watching Ava intently. 

“I see you’ve met Agent Sharpe,” Amaya said casually. Sara tore her eyes away from the agent towards Amaya. She nodded. 

“She was the first one General Hunter introduced me to. She’s…” Sara trailed off, not exactly sure how to say what she wanted to say. Amaya nodded in understanding though. 

“I understand your meaning. She’s a little uptight.” She said. Sara nodded in agreement. 

“That’s one way of putting it.” She said, recalling earlier in the day. Ava certainly knew how to infuriate her. In only five seconds of meeting no less. 

“But she is good at her job,” Amaya added. “She’s been on a few covert missions with us. She might even give your assassin skills a run for their money.” Sara raised an eyebrow. She glanced back down at Ava, who was still on the phone, with a slight tilt of her head, interested. 

“You think?” Sara said absentmindedly as she watched Ava. As far as infuriating women went, Sara did have to admit Ava was hot. Maybe in different circumstances, she’d have invited the woman back to her apartment. Amaya nodded, seeing that Sara’s attention wasn’t really focused on her. 

“Yeah.” She said. Sara noted the lack of answer so she turned her attention back to Amaya.

“What do you think about her? You’ve known her longer than me.” Sara asked. Amaya was the closest thing that Sara had to a friend so she valued her opinion more than the average person. Though Amaya got a smirk on her face. 

“Does Ms. Sara Lance have an interest in Agent Sharpe?” She teased. The back of Sara’s neck turned a little red, shaking her head. 

“No.” She said a little too quickly. She didn’t get crushes on people. Other’s got crushes on her. She pushed those kinds of feelings away. Her profession didn’t really allow for attachments. 

“Sure,” Amaya said teasingly. But she sensed Sara didn’t want to go down this route, so she changed the subject. Sara was grateful. “If you need proof of her capabilities, she’s coming with us on our extraction mission tomorrow,” Amaya said. Sara frowned. She had been a little skeptical of Amaya’s assessment that Ava could go toe to toe with her, but if General Hunter and the rest of them felt that Ava was capable of going on this mission, there must be more to her. 

She supposed she should have given Ava a little more credit. She was a CIA agent after all. Sara never had much patience for government jobs. Her assassin jobs as essentially a government contractor were different. The government didn’t dictate how and when she did things. They weren’t her boss. They were coming to her for a service. “Is she now?” She asked, a thoughtful look on her face as she glanced back down at Ava. Amaya just nodded. 

“So, how’s your time been since Iraq? What have you been up to?” Amaya asked, changing the subject again. Sara just shrugged. 

“Same old. Had a few more government jobs.” Though she did specifically omit for which government. Just because she had a habit of working for the United States government, the US wasn’t the League’s only client. “Few other odd jobs. Visited Central and Star City a few times in between.” She said. “Boring stuff mostly.” Sara never thought much of her life. It probably seemed strange or exciting, or even both to most people. But it was the life she lived. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for her. Especially when she lived with a lot of others who lived the same life. 

“Anything in the relationship department?” Amaya asked. Sara almost appreciated the girl talk. She never really had anyone in her life, except maybe Nyssa, she felt she could talk to. But Amaya made her feel more at ease. Maybe it was because the soldier had saved her life in Iraq. Maybe it was because she was going soft. Or maybe it was another completely unrelated reason, but she just shrugged. 

“Nope.” She said. “Life of an assassin doesn’t leave much room in the relationship department.” She said. Amaya nodded understandingly. 

“Same in the life of a spec-ops soldier. The only people that are constant in our lives are our squad mates, and I have a strict no-dating coworkers policy.” Amaya said. Sara nodded. That was one of the reasons she had broken it off with Nyssa. They may have been separated on various assassinations, but the two still “worked” together. “Martin manages to make a family work, but he’s the only one of us. General Hunter lost his wife and son in a home fire. And the rest of us don’t know anything besides spec-ops.”

“I get that,” Sara said with a sympathetic nod. The League had been her life for so long that she didn’t even remember a time when she wasn’t a member, even though she had more years outside the League than in it. But after Laurel’s death, she had thrown herself into her work for the League. 

“You should go talk to her,” Amaya said. Sara blinked, tilting her head questioningly. Amaya gestured to Ava, who was just sitting on the wall below them, having ended her call. Sara had absentmindedly been gazing at her while she and Amaya had been talking. “Ava. Get to know here. Somehow, I think you two will get along.” She said. Sara just scoffed. 

“I think that woman hates my guts, to be honest,” Sara said. Amaya just shrugged. 

“You don’t have the best first impression,” Amaya said. Sara just glared at the soldier, who just laughed. But begrudgingly she got up and went down to talk to the CIA agent.

II.

“How’s it hanging?” Sara said with a smirk as Ava caught sight of her. She saw the agent roll her eyes. 

“Captain Lance.” She said stiffly, clearly wanting to be anywhere but with Sara. 

“You know, you can just call me Sara.” She said. “Captain Lance is a formality at best.” She said with a shrug. Ava’s eyes narrowed. 

“What can I help you with,  _ Captain Lance _ ?” She asked, the refusal to use Sara’s name apparent. 

“Just wanted to chat. Doesn’t seem like you have many friends around here.” Sara said with a shrug, sitting on the wall next to Ava. She noticed Ava subtlety inch away from her. 

“I don’t need friends here, Captain Lance. I’m here to do a job. Not socialize.”’ She said firmly. Sara just rolled her eyes. 

“Sure, but you can do a job and make connections at the same time.” She said with a grin. 

“I didn’t know members of the League did anything besides complete their mission,” Ava said bitterly. Sara raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in Ava’s disgust with the organization. It sounded more personal than just disapproving of what was essentially a union of assassins. But Sara shrugged. 

“Just because we’re killers doesn’t mean we don’t have other interests. I’m sure you’ve done enough analysis of serial killers to know that a good number of them are otherwise normal people with normal lives. They have hobbies, interests, can feel other emotions besides bloodlust.” Sara said. Ava stiffened but nodded. 

“Of course. But they sit in wait. They hide. The League flaunts their purpose in all the circles that know about them.” Ava countered. Sara frowned. 

“The League does what it necessary. Sometimes the world is a better place when someone is killed. I’m sure you can at least agree with that. We do things that others can’t.” Sara retorted. She knew that Ava knew about the kinds of hits the League did. Political madmen, rebellion leaders, warlords. All dead at the hand of the League. And to the benefit of society in general. But Ava didn’t respond. Rather she sat stiffly on the wall next to Sara, staring at the stars. So Sara decided to change the subject to keep the conversation going. This was the longest she had talked to the agent without feeling infuriated. Rather she was intrigued by Ava’s worldview. 

“Amaya said you have skills,” Sara said simply. Ava frowned. 

“And what skills would Captain Jiwe be referring to?” She asked for clarification. Sara chuckled. 

“She said she thought you might be able to stand up to me in a fight. Wanted to find out if that was true.” Sara said with a smirk. Ava rolled her eyes. 

“While Captain Jiwe’s assessment of my capabilities is flattering, all CIA agents are trained in hand to hand combat, along with other survival skills. Especially field agents. It’s simply standard protocol.” Ava said stiffly, her hands clenched on the wall. Sara noted that she was getting on the agent’s nerves and decided to press a little further.

“Want to prove it?” She asked cheekily. Ava frowned. 

“Is your ego so fragile that you need to seek out those talented in combat to a fight?” She asked with a dark bite to her voice. Sara chuckled. 

“One thing you learn in the League is that a challenging opponent is hard to find. And when you find one, you never let them go.” Sara said, not being able to stop herself from flirting a little. Ava had the grace to look a little scandalized. But there was also something else, the same disdain in her eyes that Sara notices she always had when the League of Assassins was brought up. Sara distantly wondered if one the League had completed a hit on someone personal to Ava. 

“It’s getting late Captain Lance. You should get some sleep. The extraction mission tomorrow is your priority.” Ava said, hopping off the wall and walking away before Sara had a chance to respond. Sara felt a little shocked and a little offended at the obvious dismissal, but she didn’t know what else she expected. Ava clearly did not like her or her affiliations. And Amaya’s assessment of Sara’s feeling, as incorrect as they were, Sara told herself, would never move into something else. Because Ava clearly had one thing on her mind. Completing the mission and getting rid of Sara Lance. 

III. 

Sara headed back to her bed, various men and women asleep in the bunks. Some were awake, reading or writing letters. Sara laid back in her bed, hands behind her head. She stared at the ceiling, breathing slowly, willing herself to relax. 

She fell asleep rather quickly. She had to make do on enough assassinations that she had gotten used to sleeping wherever she could. She turned onto her side as she drifted off to sleep. Her dreams that night were vivid, to say the least. 

She saw a brightly lit underground lab, some state of the art equipment in what looked like a nuclear bunker. She walked among the scientists until she saw a familiar face that made her heartache and teeth clench. Damien Darhk. 

He and his smug smile were dressed in a white lab coat, holding a clipboard of what looked like notes as he stood in front of a large tank that looked to be holding a human body. Sara frowned. But before she could get a better look, a loud alarm jarred her out of her sleep. She sat up quickly, having found that she had slept through the night and the 5 am wake up call to the base had woken her up. She groaned, wanting to go back to sleep, but the hustle and bustle of soldiers around her wouldn’t allow her to. So she sat on her bed for a few minutes, trying to wake up. Her only thoughts were of why, after all these years, she was dreaming of her sister’s killer again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delving a little deeper into the two main relationships in the story. Amaya and Sara's friendship and Ava and Sara's... whatever it is at this point. I will say, I understand why some writers hate writing long conversations but I think they're some of the best parts of developing a character. You can write action scenes and inner monologue all you want, but you really get to know a character when you see how they talk with other characters. 
> 
> Sara is a strong individual, but also values having other strong individuals in her life despite closing herself off from her feelings. I've always seen Sara was an almost paradoxical character, so many different, conflicting traits in one person that somehow mesh together. Probably lends to her struggle over time. 
> 
> Anyway next chapter we really move into the meat of the story. And that will be fun. I'll admit it was kind of hard to drum up the motivation to write this chapter, if only because it's filler until the next plot point. But I hope you enjoyed.


	6. Extraction

I.

Sara lazied back in her chair, surrounded by the rest of Legends squad and Agent Sharpe. There was a large map on the table of the city they were going to, as well as a large board with a few notes on it. General Hunter was the only one standing as he briefed the team. 

“As you all know, we dropped Utah squad into the city recently.” He started. All the Legends looked at one another. Clearly, they knew members of Utah squad. “Their comms went dead and we need to organize an extraction as soon as possible.” He continued. “Major Rory will be leading this extraction mission.” General Hunter said, pointing to Mick, who just grunted in affirmation. The rest of the squad just nodded as it was routine for Mick to be in charge. Occasionally it was Amaya, but usually only when Mick was out of commission for whatever reason.

“So this is just a routine extraction mission?” Wally questioned. General Hunter shook his head. 

“Normally it would be. But we picked this up before Utah squad went radio silent.” He said, pulling a small tape recorder out of his pocket, placing it on the table. He pressed play to let everyone in the briefing room take a listen. 

“We’re being killed out here!” A male voice yelled into his comms. “No eyes on the insurgents.” He said, his panic increasing. “Wait, what is-” He started before they heard a loud snapping noise before the recording went silent, only white noise left. Sara frowned at the tape, as did Ava. 

“We believe they were ambushed by hyperspectral anomalies.” General Hunter said. 

“Then wouldn’t this be a recovery mission, not extraction?” Sara asked. General Hunter gave her a blistering look. The assassin looked properly chastised. 

“We’ve had one radio communication since this.” He said, pointing to the tape recorder. “We believe Utah squad is still out there.” He said confidently. Sara looked a little skeptical but didn’t comment. General Hunter turned to the rest of Legends. 

“Captain Lance and Agent Sharpe will be accompanying you on this mission. Dr. Stein, Captain Lance’s job will be to lure one of the anomalies close so you can get the kill shot.” General Hunter said directly to Martin. The elderly man nodded, giving a small smile to Sara. She jokingly saluted back, tipping her head to the side. “Agent Sharpe will stay in the transport to assist you on the ground, and of course, Sergeant Jackson will be with you as well.” Jax gave Martin a thumbs up, while Ava just nodded curtly. 

“The rest of you will be accompanied by a couple other squads of men to assist. Your mission is to extract Utah squad and get out. No heroics. Get me that kill shot and come back.” General Hunter said seriously. Amaya nodded in understanding. Mick just grunted again. 

“You got it. Get in, get out.” Mick growled. “You heard the man.” He said, addressing his squad. He then turned his attention to Sara. “Try to keep up,  _ Captain _ .” He said. Sara had to keep from balling her fists, instead, looking a little smug. 

“I don't think it’s me that will have to keep up.” She said with some sarcasm. General Hunter intervened before the exchange got even more heated. 

“This is a  _ joint _ mission. We’re all on the same side here.” He said firmly. Sara heard Ava muffled a snort. Sara just sighed, nodding. She turned her attention to Mick.

“Truce, for now, Major Rory?” She asked, offering him a hand. He eyed it for a second before shaking it firmly. 

“Fine. If only for the good of the mission. Until you prove yourself in the field.” He said roughly. General Hunter looked satisfied enough about their interaction. It was tense at best but would have to do. Major Rory’s heart was in the right place, but his demeanor was often far more confrontational than General Hunter would have liked. 

“Good. Your first priority is extraction. Bring Utah back. Second priority is getting more intel on the hyperspectral anomalies. We need to know what they are before we can find a way to fight and kill them.” General Hunter said. “And of course, come back alive yourselves.” 

II.

Sara followed Amaya to the warehouse they had been at the previous day to get geared up, though she had her own bag this time with a few toys she had brought along for the ride. “You guys have some pretty high tech stuff,” Sara said, commenting on some of the tech in the warehouse.  Amaya shrugged. 

“One of the perks of spec-ops I suppose.” She replied, wandering over to a long row of lockers. She opened one with her name on it up. Inside was her combat gear. She took hers off the rack, before pointing at a locker with no name on it nearby. “You can use that set.” She said. “Once Rip got confirmation that you’d be coming, he had that set aside for you. Figured that you didn’t have military grade stuff for a war zone.” Sara nodded gratefully. She wasn’t used to wearing body armor at all on assassinations, they used stealth and the shadows as their armor. But in a war zone that obviously wasn’t possible. 

Sara grabbed the cargo pants and t-shirt that went on underneath all the armor and followed Amaya’s lead, stepping into a nearby privacy area, while she changed. Stripping off her civilian shirt, she pulled the gray t-shirt on, followed by exchanging her jeans for the heavy duty cargo pants. The outfit fit her loosely, which she assumed was normal. It wouldn’t hinder her movement or trip her up but left enough room for her to breath in it. 

She stepped back out to see Amaya already putting on her Kevlar vest, tying the ties on each side. Amaya pointed to the camo jacket. “That one’s next, by the way.” She offered. Sara nodded in appreciation, picking up the jacket and pulling it. She buttoned the jacket up, watching Amaya pull a pair of forearm guards over her forearms, followed by black fingerless gloves. Sara simply followed suit, Amaya directing her on what to put on next every so often. “This your daily routine?” Sara teasingly questioned. Amaya chuckled. 

“Only when going into an active combat zone. Which isn’t every day. But I guess it’s often enough.” She said, picking up her helmet, inspecting the hyperspectral goggles attached to it. Sara sat down on a nearby bench to lace up her boots. “This is all pretty new to you, right?” She asked. Sara nodded. 

“Assassinations call for a little more finesse than clunky, government-issued bodysuits. No offense.” She said with a smirk. Amaya just laughed, waving her off. 

“I’d imagine so. Though what you were wearing in Iraq wasn't exactly what I would call stealthy.” She said, referring to a rather revealing black dress that drew more than one set of eyes. Sara just shrugged. 

“Sometimes stealth is simply blending into the surroundings right in front of your target. Doing that isn’t always in a full cloth and leather tunic, black face mask and hood that covers up half your eyesight.” Sara said, referencing her League of Assassin's uniform. Amaya nodded in agreement

“True. I’m assuming you got your target anyway?” She inquired. Sara gave her a lopsided grin, tying her right boot tight. 

“I’m not the best assassin in the League for no reason.” She said coyly. Amaya chuckled. 

“I guess that answers my question,” Amaya replied. Sara stood up, reaching down to grab her own forearm guards, slipping them on over her wrists and forearm. Though instead of just leaving it at that, she also grabbed a few knives, sliding the holster under the guard, tying around her forearm before sliding a knife into it. She didn’t know how effective they would be against the anomalies, but they weren’t at war against the anomalies. There were other threats in a war zone to be wary of. 

Sara pulled the Kevlar vest on before Amaya wandered over to her to help her with the ties. “These can be a bit tricky the first time around.” She explained, lacing and tying the straps on the vest. Sara gave Amaya a grateful look. After that was finished, Amaya grabbed Sara’s utility belt and handed it to her. “You can probably put all your leftover knives on this.” She said teasingly. Sara smiled, pulling a handful of knives out of her bag. Amaya chuckled. 

“I should have guessed you had more.” She teased. Sara just shrugged. 

“One thing you’ll learn about any member of the League if you’re unfortunate enough to come across another one is that there is always more.” She said, hooking some of the knife holsters to the belt. She then grabbed her staff out of the bag. It was in baton form as she slid it into a convenient place on her belt. Another weapon that would likely not see much use on this mission, but Sara always felt safer with it. 

Amaya finally tossed Sara her helmet. “Ready?” She asked as Sara eyed the helmet. It was outfitted with the standard communication radio as well as a pair of hyperspectral goggles. She tied the chinstrap around a loop on her belt before nodding. “We’ve got one more thing to grab before we meet up with the others.” She said, leading Sara to another part of the warehouse. 

Amaya walked over to the soldier on duty at the armory. “M4s.” She said simply, handing him an envelope as Sara followed behind her. The soldier opened the envelope before nodding and pocketing it. He grabbed a couple of M4 assault rifles from the rack behind him, handing them to Amaya. 

“Come back safe, Captain.” He said with a salute. She nodded in thanks, turning to hand Sara one of the M4s. She beckoned for Sara to follow her again as she walked over to another soldier, handing him another envelope before he nodded, grabbing a stack of magazines and putting them on the table in front of Amaya in two stacks before saluting and going back to his work. Amaya pointed at one of the stacks.

“Those are yours. They go in the side pocket on your belt.” She said, pointing to the empty pouch that was attached to Sara’s utility belt. The assassin nodded, carefully putting the magazines into her pack. “I need to go find Mick. I’ll meet you out by the transports?” Amaya questioned. Sara nodded. 

“Let’s get this show on the road.” 

III. 

Sara was loading into a transport with Amaya, Martin, and Jax. Their driver was a soldier from one of the other squads that were accompanying them on the mission and Sara had no knowledge of their names. Sara had just gotten settled into her seat as one more passenger got onto the transport. Sara looked up to see Agent Ava Sharpe, similarly kitted out to her, get in. Sara suppressed a groan. Ava’s eyes seemed to zero in on Sara, her hand clenching on the rifle she was carrying, but she moved to sit next to Sara nonetheless. 

After the driver had gotten to go ahead, Sara felt the transport drive off the base and across a bridge into the city. Sara looked out the small window in the transport to see a large city, torn apart by the war. Smoke rose into the sky and she could hear the occasional mortar round go off. “I’ve been to hundreds of countries, but this is one of the most war-ravaged ones I’ve seen.” She said absentmindedly. Amaya glanced at Sara but it was Ava who eventually replied. 

“Some of the smallest countries get the most badly hit. We’re doing all we can to rebuild here but the insurgents are making it rather difficult. Not to mention this anomaly problem.” She said coolly. Sara sometimes wondered how Ava could look at their environment and still sound like an icy CIA agent, but she figured that similarly to how she coped with being an assassin, emotional detachment was the only way to not go insane. 

Sara looked at Ava who looked a little tense. “How long have you been stationed here?” Sara asked, trying to pass the time as they hit bump after bump into the road on their way to the extraction point. Ava sighed. 

“Too long.” She said, offering no further details and Sara was smart enough to not press. After a couple minutes of silence, Martin broke it. 

“Captain Lance.” He said. Sara turned her attention to the scientist. “We’ll be monitoring you and your team through your body cameras here in the transport.” He said, gesturing to Jax who nodded. “We’re hoping that the presence of so many soldiers will be enough to coax the anomalies out into the open where we’ll be able to get a clean shot.” He said, pointing up at the camera mounted to the top of the transport.

“I’ll do my best to get you that chance Doc,” Sara said, giving him an optimistic thumbs up. Sara felt the transport come to a slow halt. Amaya stood up, Sara following suit. 

“Be ready,” Amaya said to Sara, putting her helmet on her head, pulling her goggles over the eyes. Sara did the same, grabbing her gun tightly. Amaya opened the door to the transport, hopping out of it with Sara close behind her. Ava moved to take Sara’s spot closer to the camera feed that Jax and Martin were looking at.  

Major Rory had already gotten out of his vehicle and had rallied the troops around the entrance to the building where they last heard from Utah squad. Amaya jogged over quickly to Mick’s position, gun at the ready. Mick nodded to Wally, who took a deep breath and kicked in the front door as the entire squad rushed into the building. 

“Clear,” Wally said, pointing his gun down an empty hallway, followed closely by Nate and Ray. The other soldiers of the other squads that had been sent swept through the ground floor. The occasional “clear” could be heard throughout the floor. 

“No resistance,” Mick said into his comms. 

“Be careful Major Rory.” Dr. Stein replied. “We don’t know what else may be in there that cannot be seen.” He said. Mick just grunted in response. He pointed at Nate and Wally. 

“You two, take Delta and Gamma squad and sweep the third floor. Captain Jiwe, Sergeant Palmer, Captain Lance and I will take the rest and check the second.” He commanded. Wally nodded, nodding his head towards the stairs as three quarters the soldiers followed him and Nate carefully up the stairs. Mick then turned to Sara. “Now’s the time to prove you’re more than a  _ tourist _ and that you deserve that rank.” He growled, following the others up the stairs. Sara’s eyes narrowed before following after him. 

The group, guns out and forward, proceeded to the first floor while Wally and Nate headed further up to the second. Mick took point, Amaya close on his tail. Sara and Ray covered them, the remaining soldiers bringing up the rear. Mick held his hand up and the soldiers all stopped to the side of an open doorway. Mick gripped his gun tightly, his finger ready on the trigger before moving quickly into the doorway, his eyes swiftly scanning it. “Clear.” He said quietly before continuing further into the hallway. Sara felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Something felt wrong. She trusted her instincts but at the moment there was nothing she could do about it, so she simply followed Mick’s lead. 

They stopped at another doorway. Mick took point again, scanning the room before declaring it safe to enter. They all entered a rather large room. It looked to be almost a ballroom of some sort if the roof hadn’t been so low. Some chunks of the ceiling were also missing, the remains, rubble on the floor. “Fan out.” Mick barked. Each soldier swept systematically through the room. 

Sara took a route closer to the wall. She saw a dead body on a nearby table. “We got bodies.” She called out. Mick stopped to look in her direction as Amaya made her way over to the body. She gave the uniform a once over.

“It's one of Utah Squad, Major.” She said, confirming the ID of the body. Mick clenched his teeth together.

“Damn!” He growled. 

“We’ve got another one.” They heard Ray say from the other side of the room. “Insurgent.” He said. Sara lowered her gun to her side, getting a closer look at the body. 

“There doesn’t look to be any sign of gunfire.” She said calmly. Amaya, whose attention had been drawn towards Ray, turned her sight back on Sara. 

“You sure?” She asked, clearly concerned. Sara nodded.

“No exit or entry wounds. No bullet holes in their surroundings either.” She observed, looking around. There was plenty of rubble and debris, but no bullet holes. Amaya tensed. 

“I don’t like this.” She said. Sara nodded in agreement, the back of her neck still prickling. The static of the comms suddenly came on. 

“Major, we’ve got KIA up here.” Nate’s voice came through the radio. “Utah squad and insurgents.” He said. 

“We have the same down here.” Mick replied. 

“Be careful in there guys.” Jax’s voice added. “We don’t know if any of Utah is left.” He said. Mick sighed. 

“Corporal West, take your men to the fourth floor, we’ll take the third.” He said. 

“You got it, Major,” Wally said before the comms went silent again. 

Mick signaled for them to follow him as they made their way back to the stairs, up to the third floor. 

V.

Once on the third floor and sweeping through the hallway, Sara’s group encountered more bodies. The assassin bent down to check the neck of the nearest one. “Dead.” She confirmed. Mick kicked a nearby chair. 

“Dammit.” He said forcefully.

“Same over here, Major,” Ray confirmed from across the room. Mick was about to reply when they heard a noise from the middle of the room. All the soldiers in the room, including Ray, Amaya, Sara, and Mick jumped, pointing their guns towards the source. 

In the middle of the room there looked to be a white, ceramic bathtub. It had been flipped over and was making sudden jerking movements. Mick signaled for the other soldiers to cover them, as he pointed towards the rest of Legends squad to approach slowly. All three soldiers and the assassin cautiously walked towards the bathtub, guns pointed at it in case whatever was underneath made any sudden movements. Sara glanced around to see the soldiers of the other units, their guns trained at the same position. 

Mick and Amaya reached the tub first. Mick pointed to Amaya then at the bathtub, his intention clear. Amaya bent down, taking one hand off her gun, though her finger remained on the trigger. She grabbed ahold of one side and with one fluid motion flipped the tub over, standing back up quickly, training her gun on the spot they had just revealed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you'll just have to wait till next chapter to find out what they found. 
> 
> Anyway, getting into the action of the story, and it'll be mostly action from here on out. The first part of the story was just setting up the characters and pre-existing relationships. Also, I'm not an expert on anything military or weaponry related and have no clue how any of it actually works. This was just the best I could glean from a brief Google search of a few topics. So while it may not be completely accurate to present day protocol, it's probably good enough for a fanfic. :p 
> 
> I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. It's been really fun to write and explore. It's a different genre than I'm used to writing, so it's been a fun challenge.


	7. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character Death.

I.

Amaya gasped as she saw the figure on the floor, lowering her gun and taking a step back. He tried to scramble away from the guns pointed at him as Mick surged forward to hold the man in place. “Sergeant Hall.” He said quietly. Sara gave Amaya a confused look. She mouthed ‘Utah Squad.’ Sara nodded in understanding. This was probably the man who had sent the last communication that General Hunter had referenced. 

“They…” He struggled to gasp out, trying desperately to scramble away from Mick, but the major’s grip was too strong. 

“Get it together man,” Mick growled. Carter continued to squirm before Mick grabbed him by the vest, holding him firmly in place.

“They’re here.” Carter stammered out. The hairs on the back of Sara’s neck prickled again. She lifted her gun, sweeping the room with her eyes. 

“Major, we need to get him out of here. I have a bad feeling.” Sara said. Amaya nodded in agreement. 

“Who’s here?” Mick asked Carter. The sergeant shivered. 

“They’re like frozen blankets. Killing with a touch.” He whispered, clearly scared out of his mind. 

“Where is the rest of your squad?” Mick inquired. 

“They’re all dead. On the top floor. We… we were ambushed by those… things. I’m the only one left.” He said, his voice and face haunted by the realization and he started to try to push Mick off of him again. But Mick just tightened his grip on the traumatized soldier. 

“West…” Mick started but Wally cut him off. 

“We’ve got mass casualties up here boss,” Wally said, answering Mick’s unasked question.

II.

Wally looked around at all the bodies in the otherwise empty hallway, sweeping his gaze, and his gun, across the hallway as he cautiously moved his soldiers forward. He pointed at a couple to his left. “McFadden. Richards. You check that way.” He said, pointing towards a hallway offshoot from the main one. The two soldiers nodded and headed down the hallway. 

Wally bent down, checking the dog tags on the US soldiers. “Utah squad.” He said into his comms. “All of them up here. Dead.” He said. 

“Damn.” He heard Mick respond. “West, keep your guard up.” 

“Will do Major,” Wally replied. “McFadden. Richards. Have you found anything?” Wally yelled after the two soldiers. 

“Nothing yet sir.” The two replied. McFadden had taken point, his gun up at the ready, Richards close on his tail. McFadden entered a room which led to a dead end. He was about to turn around when wisps of fog appeared on his camera. He turned around, only to run into Richards, who had stopped entirely. 

“Hey man, what’s that?” Richards asked. MacFadden shrugged. 

“It’s nothing. Just the wind kicking up some dust. Let’s go.” He said before Martin’s voice came over the comms. 

“Turn around McFadden.” He said. The soldier complied, turning back to the seemingly empty room. 

“There’s nothing there guys. I’m standing right here and I don’t see anything.” He said, his finger clenching around the trigger of his gun nonetheless.

“Mac, we’re all staring at it. It’s in the middle of your view.” Jax said over the comms. MacFadden frowned, still seeing nothing in front of him besides a few errant wisps of fog. 

“What that? That’s just some dust.” He insisted. “Probably these piece of shit goggles picking up stuff they shouldn't.” He said. 

“I’ll have you know that those goggles are of the highest caliber…” Stein started before he was cut off by Jax. 

“I don’t think that’s just dust, Mac.” He said. Mac furrowed his brow, pushing his goggles up off his face to get a clearer look. 

Back in the transport, Ava said, “No, no, no. Tell him to put the goggles back on.” 

“Mac put the goggles back on.” Jax radioed in. When there was no response, Jax tried again. “Mac, do it now!” That time the soldier put the goggles back on. And when he did, what had been an empty room to his naked eyes, was filled with more of that fog. 

The fog started to form into a humanoid shape. “What the…?” He started, confused at what he was seeing. Richards stiffened up behind him. 

“Mac, take the shot,” Jax said over the comms. The soldier obeyed, pulling the trigger on his gun, a few bullets heading straight for the shape. The bullets when right through it, embedding themselves into the wall behind the shape. “Did you see that? The bullets went right through it,” Martin said to Jax and Ava. 

“Did he miss?” Ava asked, sitting up more alert in her seat. 

“McFadden doesn’t miss,” Jax replied grimly. The three watched as the shape took an even more identifiable humanoid form as it rushed towards MacFadden and Richards. It slammed into MacFadden with its trademark snapping sound before turning on Richards. In a matter of moments, both soldiers fell backward into the floor, dead. Their eyes rolled back into their heads. 

III.

“Major Rory, we have a KIA. MacFadden and Richards.” Jax said into the comms. “There’s a hyperspectral target on the top floor.” Mick grabbed Carter’s arm, pulling him up off the ground roughly. “Switch to heavy rounds or 203s. Whatever you have to do to bring it down.” He said. 

Sara, Amaya, and Ray also stood up quickly from their crouched position on the ground, their stances tense and trigger fingers firmly wrapped around the trigger. “You three,” Mick said, pointing to three other soldiers on the floor. “Go up and provide backup.” The three men nodded, running off towards the stairs. 

Wally and Nate heard the chatter on the comms, and they, along with the other remaining men rushed to MacFadden and Richard’s position. The first soldier that ran into the hallway that the two men had disappeared down was hit by the anomaly and fell forward, face first onto the floor. Wally took aim and fired down the hallway as the other soldiers scrambled to get out of the way of whatever had killed those men. 

Suddenly, a loud snapping noise was heard and two other men fell backward, dead. One by one, men started falling to the anomaly, the humanoid fog in their goggles the last thing they saw before death. “Pull them out,” Ava told Jax. “Now!” She insisted. Jax fumbled with the headset. 

The three watched as two soldiers cautiously walked into a seemingly empty room before seeing the formation of another anomaly. “There!” One of them yelled before the two men open fired on the anomaly. The bullets continued to go right through it, shattering glass containers on various tables, knocking cans off shelves and tearing even more holes in the already tattered fabric of the curtains. The anomaly charged towards one of the men, the snapping sound heard before the man yelled out in pain before falling to the ground, another KIA. His fellow soldier let out a few more rounds to cover his retreat out of the room. 

“Tell them to pull out right now,” Ava said to Jax. He turned to the agent. 

“Listen, I know you outrank me, but we’re not leaving empty-handed. Not after we’ve already lost this many men.” He said. 

“I can guarantee you’ll leave empty handed if you don’t pull out what you have left!” She yelled. The three watched as more men ran up the stairs, firing on the anomaly. “Grenade!” One yelled as he lobbed a grenade into the open room. A loud bang lit up the areas as the soldiers took cover from the debris. But that didn’t seem to stop the anomaly as all those men, one by one, all fell to the floor with a scream of agony. Jax angrily kicked the console, giving Ava a regretful look. 

“Get out now!” He yelled into the comms. “All units evacuate now. Get back to the transports.” He said hurriedly.

IV.

Wally and Nate heard the order. “You heard him, let’s go!” Wally yelled before making a break for the stairs, Nate close on his heels. Those men unfortunate enough to be a bit slower were cut down by the anomaly with frightening speed. Wally and Nate heard the screams of their fellow soldiers, but as demonstrated by the ones that had tried to fight, they weren’t equipped to deal with whatever they were facing. 

Mick grabbed one of Carter’s arms, Amaya grabbing the other as they hauled him out of the room and towards the stairs. “We need to go,” Mick yelled. Carter nodded as the two soldiers helped him run as best he could. Sara and Ray followed up the rear, providing what cover they could. 

Only a few yards, Carter’s leg gave out and he fell to the ground with a grunt. “Get him! Let’s go!” Mick growled at Amaya, who nodded, scrambling to pick Carter up from the ground as he turned to see a couple soldiers that had accompanied Mick, Sara, Ray, and Amaya on their sweep be cut down. He crawled frantically backward, away from a killing force he couldn’t see in a panic. Amaya and Mick got a grip on each arm, pulling him up with some urgency and dragging him with them, his back facing forward as his heels drug in the rubble. Sara, Ray and a soldier named Smith who had run into the room from a nearby hallway got in front of the two officers to clear a safe path. 

They reached an open window, Sara pushing the curtain aside as Ray reached into his back to grab a couple of lines of rope with grappling hooks attached. “Evacuating via south face,” Mick said into his comms as Amaya stood ready with her gun, what little good it would do them, to provide cover. “I’ve got Smith, Hall, Jiwe, Palmer, and Lance.” 

Ray, with surprising speed, secured the ropes to a metal bar that ran along the floor under the window. Meanwhile, Dr. Stein reached over to the controls, typing quickly and moving the camera into place. He aimed the viewfinder at the front door of the building before quickly climbing out of the transport. “Grey, what are you doing?” Jax asked. 

“What we came here for, Jefferson.” He said, getting to the top of the transport. Jax gave Ava a disgruntled look. 

Back in the building, Mick grabbed hold of Cater. “We’ve gotta travel together and stay tight, can you do that?” He asked. Carter nodded weakly. Ray finally finished securing the ropes, handing one to Mick. He nodded as Ray handed one each to Smith, Sara, and Amaya as well. The four secured the ropes to their belts before one by one, hopping out the window to scale the building down. If their lives weren’t in danger, Sara would have found the activity rather nostalgic. 

Mick secured Carter to his body before hopping out the window after Sara. Amaya and Ray were close to follow. Smith was about to follow his fellow soldiers out the window before he turned to see a human spectral form running straight at him. He drew his gun and fired, but it ultimately was no use as it slammed into him and he fell backward out the window, his body catching on the rope with a sickening crunch of the force breaking a few bones. 

Amaya gasped as they watched the anomaly jump out the window after them. It went straight for Sara, but she managed to swing out of the way. “Get down now!” Mick yelled after watching Smith fall out the window. The four soldiers scrambled to get down, Ray letting the slack down on his rope, falling quickly to the ground. On the way down, he bumped Mick, who also took a fall to the ground, Carter landing on top of him. 

A couple of soldiers who had made it out of the building ran to help the three men up as Sara and Amaya made their way down quickly. “You got him?” Mick asked the soldier who grabbed Carter. “Let’s go!” Mick and the new soldier grabbed Carter, pulling him to his feet as they ran off with him to Mick’s transport, Carter grunting in pain. 

V.

Martin got into position behind the camera as Amaya and Sara got unstrapped from their ropes. He looked into the viewfinder mounted on the camera and watched with fascination and horror as the anomaly gracefully scaled down the building, crashing into the ground. It briefly landed in a puddle of wispy, cream-colored fog before reforming right next to Sara and Amaya. 

With the more powerful camera, Martin was able to get a much closer look at the anomaly and as he zoomed in, he saw it form into a much more distinguishable humanoid form. So much so that he could even pick out individual features on its face, such as a nose, mouth and haunted white eyes. It turned towards Martin, watching him on the camera. 

Martin looked back at it through the camera, frozen as it stared into his soul. Amaya and Sara scrambled to get clear of the anomaly, ducking behind a low wall and quickly creeping towards their transport. 

Inside, Jax watched one of his monitors as the anomaly watched the camera. He clenched his teeth, angry at all the death that this thing had caused. He took his headset off, almost throwing it at Ava, angrily getting out of his chair. “Get out of the way.” He said, the tone of his voice hard. He grabbed a rocket launcher from the side of the transport, jumping out the back door. 

He ran around the side of the transport towards the front. “Where?” He yelled to Martin who was still on top of the transport, watching the anomaly. 

“Right there!” Martin yelled back, pointing. 

“Where it is?” Jax yelled again, running around to the front, getting down on one knee, positioning the bazooka. 

“In front,” Martin said. Jax took aim and fired the rocket into the front of the building, the entire area exploding in front of them. Smoke, dust, and debris flew into the air as the shell exploded. Martin ducked, covering his head. Sara grabbed Amaya’s arm. 

“We need to get in!” She insisted, pulling Amaya towards the transport as Jax provided their cover fire. Ava was at the open door ready to grab Amaya’s hand and pulled her into the transport.

“C’mon! Get in here!” She yelled, holding her hand out for Sara once Amaya was safely into the transport.

VI.

Jax stood slowly, on his guard as Martin uncovered his head and looked back through the viewfinder. Jax looked up at Martin, lowering his weapon, looking cautious. 

Suddenly, in the debris, Martin saw a reformation on the humanoid anomaly. He watched in horror as it ran for Jax. As if in slow motion, he struck a young soldier. He didn’t even make a sound as he fell to the ground. For Martin, it was slow though, in reality, it was just the blink of an eye. 

“No.” He said, scrambling to the side of the transport. “No!” He yelled, almost making to jump off the transport next to the soldier, but stopped himself at the last minute. He had no idea where the anomaly was now and getting down off the transport after his friend was dead wouldn’t help anyone. More like get himself killed and at the moment, he was one of their last hopes of finding out what the anomalies were. 

He sat back, still in shock as soldiers ran out of the building. Martin looked up to see them fall like Jax had done, one by one. There seemed to be too many coming out of the building for one anomaly to kill them all though, so as Wally and Nate followed behind they managed to make it out. They rounded the corner to their transport and Martin scrambled back into his own through the top hatch. 

“Go!” He yelled once everyone was in safely. 

“What about…” Ava asked. 

“He’s not coming,” Martin said quietly, numb about the loss of his friend. Sara felt the transport lurch forward, leaving a failure of a mission behind. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that didn't really go according to plan. 
> 
> As I said at the beginning, I don't like killing off characters and avoid it where possible. However, sometimes to tell the story you want to tell, it's unavoidable. And in a story where many random faces die in combat, in order to make any given death stand out, it has to be a character that a reader has a connection to. Otherwise, it's not meaningful and any future plot points that hinge on that one death seem... weird. Disingenuine I guess. 
> 
> Also, I watched all of Legends S1, S2 & S3 last week, so hopefully I should be able to characterize people better now that I've watched and understand them better than I did. 
> 
> Anyway, this was actually a really hard chapter to write. And I hope you guys like it.


	8. Escape II

I.

Sara almost lost her balance as the transports lurched forward. Luckily, Amaya reached out to steady her before she fell over. “Not super graceful for an assassin are you?” She joked. Sara just shrugged. Amaya gave her a concerned look as she noticed Sara watching Martin. From the short amount of time she had gotten to know Legends squad, she knew they were like a family. And that Martin and Jax were close. Almost like family. She could sympathize with the pain she knew the older man was feeling.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to dwell on it. Not in the middle of an active war zone with an anomaly potentially chasing after then. Ava sat stiffly across from Sara before breaking the silence. “Did you get the footage, Dr. Stein?” She asked. Martin just nodded slowly, not even looking in her direction.

“I got something all right.” He replied and went silent after that. Ava just nodded, respecting his need for silence, to process. Though the universe didn’t seem to see it that way. Suddenly there was a loud boom from in front of their transport. Amaya, Martin, Ava, and Sara all were jarred by the sudden loud noise. Sara instinctively reached for a knife strapped to her left bicep.

There was another explosion. “Mines. Hold on!” Their driver yelled. Sara grabbed onto the nearest handhold as everyone else did the same. Sara heard a couple more distance explosions before her world was turned sideways. Quite literally. Sara felt the explosion before she heard it as their transport flipped onto its side from the force of the blast. Suddenly, Sara was rubbing her head from hitting it against the wall of the transport before she registered that there was another body lying on top of hers, having fallen in her direction.

Sara looked up to see Ava looking a little disoriented, wincing in pain. Sara groaned, trying to shake off the impact. “Is everyone okay?” She asked. Amaya nodded.

“I’m okay as can be,” Martin replied, struggled a little to stand up. Sara pushed Ava off of her gently as the CIA agent rest against the wall of the transport to catch her breath. Sara stood up best she could and helped pull Martin to his feet. She could tell he was a little out of it as well. Sara looked forward to seeing their driver unresponsive. She moved in his direction to see a trickle of blood down his face and pressed her fingers against his pulse point.

“He's dead.” She confirmed.

“We need to get to safety!” Sara heard Mick yell from outside. She kicked out the hatch on the top of the transport, helping Martin out first, Amaya following on her own shortly after. Sara turned to Ava to see the agent not moving from her spot.

“C’mon Agent Sharpe, I’m not leaving you here.” She said, offering Ava her hand. The agent winced again in pain as she took Sara’s hand, the assassin pulling her up before wrapping Ava’s arm around her own shoulder, placing her own arm around Ava’s waist. She supported Ava, walking her out to the open air. Everyone else seemed to be getting out of their transports, the others not faring much better than their own. Mick was rallying everyone to his position.

“Captain Lance, we need to bring that camera with us,” Martin said approaching Sara. She nodded, turning to Amaya.

“Can you help her?” Sara said, gesturing to Ava who seemed to be coming out of her shock. The soldier nodded, carefully taking Ava from Sara. The assassin turned to the transport as Martin removed it from the mount.

“Doc, we don’t have time. We need to get to safety!” Mick yelled but Martin ignored him, continuing to remove the camera before it came loose. He grabbed the strap on the large, nearly bazooka sized camera, handing it to Sara. She threw the strap over her shoulder, carrying the camera like a modern hand cannon, following after the others.

II.

Mick led the way, running in and out of back alleys, the squad close on his heels, guns alert and at the ready. Amaya supported Ava, who was walking a little better but still needed to hang on to Amaya to go anywhere quickly. And Sara ran along as well, her gun strapped to her back. The camera she was carrying was rather bulky and awkward but she didn’t let it get in the way as best she could.

Mick stopped for a second before pointing at a large warehouse looking building not far off. Maybe half a mile. “There, we can take shelter there for now.” He said, beckoning the rest of the team to follow him as he ran off. Sara’s ears pricked up as she heard an eerie whistling sound.

Suddenly there was that loud snapping noise as a soldier to their left fell over with a grunt of pain. “They found us!” Sara yelled. “Run!” She cried out as she picked up the pace. The team made a break for the building, wanting to put as much distance between themselves and the anomaly.

As they neared the building, they lost a couple more men, their screams of agony could be heard behind the team as they ran. Sara had the desire to turn around and fight off the anomalies, but clearly, she wasn’t equipped for that. Especially not even knowing what they were. So she ran with the rest of the team. Suddenly, Ray tripped, falling into the debris.

Sara wasn’t about to allow someone to die that could have been prevented, at least not in this situation, so she turned and quickly grabbed him and pulled him to his feet. The two went to follow after the group that had put more distance between them and the two lone individuals. Sara felt a chill run up her spine as she turned and aimed the camera towards the spot, seeing not only one but four or five anomalies in the viewfinder. Sara and Ray both quickly backpedaled away from the sight but noticed that when the anomalies tried to approach them, something in the dirt stopped them, clinging to their form and stopping them from advancing further. They struggled, trying to reach out to them but unable to reach them.

Sara heard a screeching sound, like the anomalies, were crying out in either pain or frustration. Or both. Sara looked at Ray, but he didn’t seem to hear anything. Sara frowned but wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She grabbed Ray and ran, turning their backs on the anomalies and catching up with the others.

Once inside the warehouse, Sara brandished the camera around, seeing no further evidence that the anomalies were pursuing them. Perhaps whatever was stopping them was effective enough to keep them out of the building. “Nothing here. For now.” Sara said. The rest of the team sighed in relief, lifting their goggles up, most of them taking off their helmets.

“We can rest here for the time being,” Mick said. “I tried getting through to base, but nothing but static. The insurgents must be jamming our signal.” He said, clearly frustrated. The Major looking around.

“We lost 20 good men back there.” He grunted. Sara looked around, to see only Legends squad left. The men from the other squad that had accompanied them all cut down. Sara furrowed her brow.

“Where’s Carter?” She asked Mick. He shook his head.

“The landmine. When our transport turned over, he snapped his neck. Instant.” He said with an air of regret. Sara nodded, before pulling the strap of the camera over her head, setting it down next to Martin.

“Here doc, I got this here safely, just like you asked,” Sara said, resting a hand on Martin’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Captain Lance. Hopefully, with the footage we have on this, Jefferson’s sacrifice won’t be in vain.” He said softly. The whole team fell silent, all of them staring at the floor. Sara felt like an intruder on such an intimate moment for the squad.

“We’ll give those anomalies a hell of a time, Doc. You’ve got our word on that.” Nate said after a minute or two, the rest of the team nodding in agreement. Martin nodded in thanks.

“I’m sure you will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to be alone for a little bit.” He said, picking up the camera and walking away. He was still within eyeshot of the group but the rest of the team were wise enough to leave him to his thoughts.

“Ray, let me take a look at your knee,” Amaya said, noticing that Ray’s pants had been torn when he had fallen. Ray nodded, moving over to a nearby table, hopping up to sit on it as Amaya bent down to look at his bleeding knee.

Sara looked around. “What is this place?” She wondered out loud.

“It used to be a factory of some kind,” Mick replied. “I think we’re safe here. For the moment. If those things haven’t followed us in here by now, they probably won’t for at least a little bit.” He said before walking off to secure the rest of the area.

Wally and Nate were sitting on the floor next to each other, patching up their own cuts and scratches. Sara looked around to see Ava sitting off to the side, alone. Sara frowned when she saw the blood trickling from a gash on her forehead. She wandered over to the agent.

“You’re bleeding.” She said, trying to take a closer look. Part of her League training included some basic first aid to help patch herself up on a hit. Ava rolled her eyes.

“Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Captain Lance.” She said sarcastically, moving away from Sara. The assassin had to chuckle. Even injured and running for their lives, the CIA agent still had that snark about her. “I’m fine.” Ava tried to insist but Sara just shook her head.

“Let me look at it. I’ve got some basic first aid training from the League. I just want to make sure you don’t have a concussion.” Sara said. Ava sighed, nodding reluctantly. “Have you blacked out?” She asked. Ava winced, rubbing her head.

“Maybe.” She admitted.

Sara just held up her finger.

“Watch my finger.” She said, turning on the headlamp on her helmet to get a better look at Ava’s vision. She noticed Ava’s pupils were significantly dilated. Though Ava tracked her finger’s movements well enough that Sara didn’t think she had a concussion. Or at least not a serious one. “I think you’ll be okay. Just rest for a bit.” Sara said, sitting on the table next to Ava.

The agent closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead. “You don’t need to babysit me.” She insisted, inching away from Sara. But the assassin didn’t let her, grabbing the agent’s wrist.

“Someone needs to keep an eye on you. I don’t think you have a concussion, but I could be wrong. Look, you can make this difficult, but I’m just trying to look out for you.” Sara said. Ava stopped struggling in Sara’s grasp, sighing but nodding in defeat. Sara carefully let go of Ava’s wrist and the agent just sat next to the assassin. “So…” Sara started. “Some mission huh?” She tried.

Ava just groaned. “This is going to be a logistics and paperwork nightmare when I get back.” She complained. “Not to mention all the soldiers that died. This war has taken a lot, but that was probably one of our biggest single mission casualty count.” She said, running over the various missions in her head. Sara tipped her head to the side curiously.

“What got you assigned here in the first place?” She asked. Ava just shrugged.

“It’s just where the CIA assigned me. It’s been a hard fought battle here for a while. And I was the most qualified agent to be assigned to the job.” She supplied. Sara nodded, understanding as she was in the region for similar reasons.

“Have you always been in the CIA?” She asked, curious about the agent. And figured as long as Ava wasn’t fighting her, she might as well satisfy her curiosity about the agent.

The agent nodded. “The CIA has been my life for a long time.” She said. “I can’t say my family was a huge part of my life and I went off to join the intelligence community as soon as I could. I wanted to get away. My parents didn't really approve.” She admitted to the assassin. Sara nodded. Her story of joining the League was not so different.

“So do you have a boyfriend or husband to go home to at least?” She questioned. Ava shook her head.

“I’m not really the husband kind.” She said cryptically. Sara tilted her head, clearly interested in the answer. But Mick interrupted before she had the chance to inquire further.

“We need to finish scoping out the building.” He growled. Sara nodded, getting to her feet before offering her hand to Ava. The agent eyed it carefully before finally deciding to take it. Sara pulled her to her feet.

“You good to walk?” She asked. Ava wobbled on her feet for a second before steadying herself.

“I’m okay.” She said, nodding. Sara gave her a skeptical look but let go of her hand. Ava swayed for a second but righted herself and followed Mick, who had gathered the rest of the team. Martin approached Sara.

“Captain Lance, I believe you’re best equipped to handle this.” He said, offering the large camera to the assassin. Sara gave him a small smile, appreciative of the trust that the doctor showed in her. It was a rare sight to see. She took the strap from him, throwing it over her shoulder again, picking up the camera and setting it in a comfortable place to her side. They all followed him up a nearby set of metal stairs.

III.

They cleared the building floor by floor, finding no signs of life or the anomalies. Once they reached the third floor, they approached a window that faced the front of the building. Martin asked Sara to set the camera down on a nearby table near the window. He turned it on and the team looked through the viewfinder to see a number of anomalies still trying to get past the perimeter, but they still were stopped by something in the dirt.

“They can’t get through,” Sara observed. Martin nodded in agreement. He zoomed in on the ground.

“See that dark debris on the ground. It looks like a barrier. It’s clinging to the anomalies. Stopping them.” He said. “But what is it?” He wondered out loud.

“I fell in it. Amaya got some out of my knee.” He said, handing a small bag to Martin. The two had noticed that some of it wasn't the normal composition of dirt and rubble so they had saved it. Just in case. Martin took the bag, opening it and pouring it into his hand, getting a closer look at it.

“These are iron shavings.” He said finally. Sara frowned.

“They’re weak to iron?” She asked. Martin shrugged.

“Without further data or analysis, I couldn’t say for sure.” He said. Sara looked back at the anomalies. She looked at the iron shavings on the ground.

“Those weren’t just there. And certainly not like that. It forms a clear barrier around the building.” She said thoughtfully. She furrowed her brow, frowning. “We’re not alone in here.” She said, coming to the obvious conclusion as to why this building would be protected like that. All the soldiers pulled their guns out, looking to Mick for orders.

“Sweep the building again. Find whoever is here.” He growled before beckoning for Sara and Amaya to follow him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess after a close brush with death, Ava is feeling a little more accepting after Sara wouldn't leave her behind. Probably, ultimately, saving her life. 
> 
> But from here on out, Ava and Sara kind of accept that they have to be willing to work together if they want to make it back alive; along with the remaining Legends. And maybe, just maybe, they'll learn that they aren't so different underneath it all.


	9. Zari

I.

“West, Palmer, Heywood, you check the bottom floor, Jiwe, Stein, the second. Sharpe, Lance, you’re with me.” Mick ordered. Everyone nodded, heading off to their respective floors. Martin took the camera with him, leaving Sara, Mick, and Ava with their M4s to sweep the top floor of the building.

“You’re sure we’re not alone, Lance?” Mick asked. Sara nodded confidently.

“That barrier wasn’t placed there for no reason. This building is protected. Whoever put it there knows a hell of a lot more about these anomalies than we do. That alone should be incentive to find them.” She said. Mick nodded, heading off down a hallway, Ava and Sara following closely behind him.

The three slowly proceeded with caution from room to room, Mick taking point. “Clear.” He said as they entered yet another empty room.

“I hope the others are having more luck than we are,” Sara said under her breath. Suddenly Mick stopped dead in his tracks, so abruptly that Sara almost walked right into him.

“Do you hear that?” He asked. Sara frowned but strained her ears. Down a long hallway, she heard some rustling coming from the room at the end. She nodded, signaling to Mick that they should be careful, but look into the noise.

Mick nodded in agreement, walking slowly down the hallway, sticking close to the right wall as possible, Sara and Ava walking behind him, guns drawn. Sara was acutely aware of her surroundings, down to the leaky pipes above their heads.

They finally reached the door without any commotion from the other side of the door. Mick stood on one side of the door, Ava and Sara on the other. “Come out with your hands up, whoever you are!” Mick yelled. There was a minute of silence before gunfire came from the other side of the door.

“Get down.” Sara hissed, grabbing Ava and pulling her down to the floor out of the way of the gunfire. The bullets had smashed the small window on the top of the door, shattering the glass on top of their heads. All three of them covered their faces, their heads protected by their helmets. After a few seconds, the gunfire stopped. Mick growled, grabbing a smoke grenade from his belt, pulling the pin before quickly opening the door and throwing it into the room, shutting the door as quickly as he had opened it.

The three stood up, ready to enter the room after the grenade gave them sufficient cover. Ava and Sara moved, behind Mick. They all put their goggles over their eyes, guns pointed towards the door. As soon as the grenade detonated and they heard the bang, Mick opened the door and led the other two inside.

Mick swept the room, looking for the shooter. Sara and Ava flanked him but Sara stopped in her tracks as she saw a small girl, no more than eleven or twelve, holding a gun, hiding behind a couch in the room. She lowered her weapon slowly. “Major, I think we found our shooter.” She said, letting go of her gun, putting her hands up to show the girl they meant no harm.

The girl bit her lip, clearly not trusting Sara’s intentions, holding the gun and pointing it at Sara. Mick turned in their direction. He frowned, slowly inching towards the girl as Sara kept her attention as the most immediate threat. Luckily, his movements went unnoticed by the small girl and he was able to lunge and wrestle the gun from her hands. The girl cried out but Mick wrenched the gun out of her reach.

Sara approached the girl, keeping her hands in the air. She saw some tears run down the girl’s cheeks, noticing that her eyes kept darting to a spot to her side, out of sight. Sara slowly turned to look at Ava, motioning to look behind the couch further. The girl protested in a foreign language, but Ava looked over the back of the couch to see a young boy, younger than the girl.

“I think they’re siblings,” Ava said to Sara and Mick. Sara nodded, turning her attention back to the girl.

“Who are you?” She asked. But the girl didn’t respond. Ava bent down next to Sara as Mick continued to look around the room.

“She probably doesn’t understand you. Most locals don’t speak English.” She said. Sara sighed.

“Can you translate?” She asked. Ava nodded. “Ask her who she is. How they got here. If there’s anyone else.” She said.

Ava nodded, proceeding to translate Sara’s questions into Romanian, the most likely language the girl would speak. Luckily, she seemed to understand and answered Ava in rapid succession. “She said her name is Zari. And that’s her brother Behrad.” She said. “That their father brought them here. And there’s no one else.” Sara nodded, standing up from her spot.

“Ask her if there are any other guns,” Mick grunted, having pulled up his goggles, finding nothing else of interest in the room. Ava asked the girl who just shook her head. Ava looked up at Mick.

“Does that answer your question, Major Rory?” She asked. Mick grunted but nodded. Suddenly, the rest of the squad came bursting into the room. Sara, Ava and Mick jumped a little bit at the sudden intrusion, guns drawn, but relaxed when they saw they were among friendly faces.

“Is everything okay up here? We heard gunfire.” Wally said. Sara just nodded.

“Yeah. We found these kids and a gun.” She said. Wally looked at the two children, bending down to their eye level. The girl shied away from him, but the boy approached him curiously. He offered Behrad a high five and he enthusiastically slapped his hand against Wally’s hand. Wally smiled before standing back up.

“The building has its own radio tower boss.” He said to Mick. “Might be strong enough with a little tinkering to get a message back to base.” Mick nodded.

“Do it.” He said.

“Only bad news is that it’s on an unsecured frequency and so anyone will be able to pick up our signal.” He said. Mick shrugged.

“Insurgents are the least of our problems right now, West.” He said. “Do it.” He said again. Wally nodded, heading back to where Martin had already begun working on repairing the radio equipment and boosting the signal.

II.

The squad all gathered around the radio tower base for the evening while Martin worked on fixing it. They had brought the two kids with them, figuring it was far safer for them to be with the squad and not alone. Nate took off his helmet, putting it on the Behrad’s head after ruffling his hair. Behrad giggled, pushing the helmet back, away from his eyes as Nate bent down, holding his hands out in front of him. Behrad punched his palms as Nate held them out.

Sara and Ava sat nearby with Zari, watching Nate play with her brother. “He’s good with kids,” Sara observed. Ava just shrugged her shoulders.

“Sometimes I think it’s more like they’ll take what they can get to find even a little bit of hope and peace on the job. There’s so little of it.” She replied. Sara nodded slowly. She watched Nate playfully push the kid onto his back. Then Behrad got up slowly, raising his hands above his head with a deep intake of breath. He made a whooshing sound as he thrust his hands at Nate, who stood there, confused. Behrad tried again with the same whooshing sound. Sara frowned.

“I think he’s trying to be one of the anomalies.” She said. She turned to Ava. “Can you ask them?” Ava nodded, asking Zari and Behrad in Romanian if he was acting out being one of the anomalies. Behrad nodded.

“Aratare.” He said softly. Nate’s gaze softened as he knelt down next to the boy, picking up the helmet that had fallen to the floor and put it back on his head with a smile.

Sara turned to Ava. “We need to see if these kids know anything about them. Can you ask them about the iron shavings?” She asked the agent. Ava nodded, clearly agreeing that the more information they had the better. And at the moment, the two kids were the best lead they had. She turned to Zari.

“ _Do you know why the aratares are weak to iron?”_ She asked in Romanian. Zari shook her head.

 _“No, our father poured the shavings around the building to protect us.”_ She said shakily. Behrad must have overheard their short exchange as he looked over at them. He started talking quickly in Romanian. Sara looked at Ava who was nodding. She leaned over to Sara.

“He said that they’re the ghosts of war. Lost souls that are trapped between life and death. And that they can’t find peace.” Ava translated quietly. Sara glanced at Behrad who stood next to Nate, a serious look on his face. Or as serious as a young boy could look.

“Why?” She asked Ava. Behrad spoke again in quick Romanian. Sara figured that he could read the look on her face rather than understand her language.

“He said that the war caused it. Nothing more than that.” Ava explained. Sara nodded. Behrad’s explanation would fall in line with what she knew of the people’s legends and superstitions.

“So these things started appearing after the war started?” She questioned. Ava shrugged.

“As far as we know, yes. There had been no reports of this until a half a year or so into the conflict. There wasn’t even anything on those out-there conspiracy websites, so we assume they only began to crop up after the war.” Ava supplied. Sara nodded, turning her attention back to Zari.

“Do you know if she can take us to her father?” Sara asked Ava. “It seems like her father was the fountain of knowledge about these things.” The agent translated her question to Zari, who bit her lip but nodded, hopping off the table she was sitting on. She took Sara’s hand and started to pull her away. Sara awkwardly allowed herself to be led away by Zari and Ava followed behind her.

III.

Zari led the two women through twists and turns of unfamiliar corridors until they reached a dimly lit room. Zari pointed at a sheet covering a body on a metal table. She spoke to Ava who nodded sympathetically at her.

“He died finishing the barrier.” Ava relayed. “She said she couldn’t just leave his body out there so she brought it back here. Behrad still doesn’t know.” She said. Sara absentmindedly put her hand on Zari’s head, stroking the girl’s hair softly. She nodded.

She pointed at the body, looking at Zari’s questioningly. Her unspoken question understood, Zari nodded, letting go of Sara’s hand. Sara approached the table, respectfully pulling the sheet back to see the form of a man, lying face down on the table. “Tell her I’m sorry. I know what it’s like to lose a family member.” Sara said, her voice a million miles away. She was so wrapped up in her own head, she missed the softening look Ava gave her before she relayed the message to Zari.

The girl nodded, going over to Sara and standing rather close to her. Sara looked down to see Zari grabbing her hand again, looking up at her. Sara gave her a small smile and turned her attention back to the body. “Can you ask her if I can go through his pockets?” Sara asked, directed at Ava. She nodded, asking Zari the question. The young girl nodded, letting go of Sara’s hand again to allow her to look through her father’s clothing.

Sara reached into his jacket pocket first, pulling out some scraps of paper. She set them to the side, continuing to go through his jacket and pants pockets for anything of interest. She found nothing else that looked to be helpful, but she did unclench his right fist and found a small ceramic tile attached to a necklace chain. She picked it up and inspected it.

“It looks like a ceramic tile,” Ava observed. Sara nodded in agreement, before kneeling down and giving the necklace to Zari. She figured that the girl deserved to have it. As a memory. Sara played with the canary charm around her own neck absentmindedly as Zari accepted the tile from Sara with a grateful look.

Sara stood back up, unfolding one of the pieces of paper from the man’s pocket. She spread it out on a nearby table. Ava and Zari moved to get a better look. It looked to be a map of the region with a place called “Masarov” circled. Zari pulled on Ava’s sleeve to get her attention before speaking.

“She says that’s where the killings started,” Ava said to Sara. The assassin frowned.

“Maybe whatever this is originated from there.” She said thoughtfully. “How do you say thank you in Romanian?” She asked.

“Mulțumesc,” Ava said. Sara turned to look down at Zari.

“Mulțumesc Zari.” She said. The girl grinned, nodding. “C’mon, let's get back to the others,” Sara said to Ava.

IV.

Zari led the two women back through the hallways to the rest of the squad. “I still wonder what those things are,” Sara said, racking her brain for anything that could be of use, but still drawing a blank.

“Our working theory is still active camouflage,” Ava replied curtly. Sara groaned.

“There’s no way. Jax shot a rocket at one and it went right through it. Same with McFadden and everyone else. Bullets go right through it. Now tell me if I’m wrong, but camouflage doesn’t make someone incorporeal.” She argued. Ava tensed, but eventually relaxed, nodding.

“You have a point.” She said. “But just... “ She trailed off. “I don’t want to think about what it could be if not that. What kind of power these things could have is, frankly, terrifying.” Ava admitted. Sara nodded.

“The unknown is a scary thing.” She said. “Playing with unnatural forces can be dangerous.” She said with a sigh. “When I was brought back by the Lazarus Pit, I didn’t come back out the same.” She admitted. Ava frowned, glancing at Sara.

“What do you mean? You don’t look like a woman who was killed in the line of duty. So to speak.” She observed. Sara nodded.

“The Lazarus Pit may have given me life, but it also gave me something else. And I can’t explain it. It’s so hard to control. The bloodlust. The need to take. To kill. But to lose yourself to fear of the unknown is the same as losing yourself. You have to hold onto whatever hope you have that the unknown isn’t necessarily something to have a crippling fear of. But something that with enough time, you can uncover the truth of. Otherwise, trust me, you’ll drive yourself insane.” She said.

Sara looked at Zari who was walking in front of them. “Take her for example. She’s lost everything. Her home. Her father. Her life. The only thing she has left is her brother and a ceramic tile. And yet she keeps going. She wants to help us. She holds onto the hope that things will get better.” Sara said.

Ava nodded. “You know, you’re different than I thought you’d be.” She said. Sara laughed.

“Like I said, even assassins have hobbies, a personality, a life. I’m more than just deadly ability and a pretty face.” She said with a smirk. She didn’t miss the slight blush on Ava’s face at the mention of her looks. 

V.

Once they reached the rest of the squad, Mick approached the two. “We were able to get through to base. They’re going to be sending helicopters to extract us in the morning. There’s an open plaza a half mile from here. That’s the extraction point.” He said. Sara and Ava both nodded.

“That’s a long way on foot with a couple of kids with useless weapons.” She said. Sara nodded in agreement. She refused to leave kids behind. She may be a bloodthirsty assassin trained by the League, but even she had limits. She would never kill or leave kids to their deaths.

Martin walked over the little group. “I think I may be of assistance Agent Sharpe. Look around you.” He said, pointing to a nearby bin. “Iron shavings. A ton of the stuff. I think we may be able to fashion our existing equipment and use the iron shavings as weapons. At least for the short term.” He said.

Sara nodded in agreement. “We could be able to use those jars over there, dismantle our existing ammo and use the gunpowder to make iron grenades. And then convert the M4s into grenade launchers.” She pitched. Martin nodded.

“An excellent idea Captain Lance.” He exclaimed. “Let's get to it then!” He said. The rest of the squad got up as Martin gave them each a task. Ava was tasked with helping him convert the M4s, while the majority of the squad was tasked with filling the small jars with iron shavings and gunpowder and fashion them into makeshift grenades.

Sara wandered over to where Ava was working, intent on helping the agent. But as she approached, she watched Ava dismantle the rifles with impressive efficiency and with a little direction from Martin, begin to modify the weapons.

“And here I was thinking you were just a pretty face.” Sara flirted. Ava looked up at Sara, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not one of the top CIA agents for no reason Captain Lance.” She said. Sara shrugged.

“Just color me impressed.” She said, before gathering up some supplies to make grenades before settling down on a table near Ava. “So I’m curious. What do you have against the League of Assassins?” She asked bluntly. She saw Ava stiffen.

“Not that it's really any of your business but I just can’t say I like the idea of a group of people dedicated to killing people.” She said, clearly deflecting something. Sara frowned.

“But is the military really any different? You have diplomats and bureaucracy for a reason. That’s the way to peace without violence. Or at least as little violence as possible. And I guarantee that your military has killed far more people than the League. And at least we target individuals. How many civilians and innocents have gotten caught in your crossfire?” She questioned. Ava bristled at the statement but clearly didn’t have a counterargument.

“At least we’re helping people. We’re trying to make the world a better place.” She said finally. Sara raised an eyebrow.

“For who? You? Or them? Because the way I see it, you come in, heavy-handed and all, and destroy the existing ecosystem to suit your interests.” She challenged. Ava slotted together a couple of pieces of the gun she was working on with some force and it snapped together with a loud click.

“Like the League is really any different.” She spat. Sara looked a little surprised at the outburst.

“Maybe on our contract jobs for governments.” She admitted. “But we have to pay our bills and get our immunities somehow.” She said. “Our personal mission is far out of your league of understanding.” She said. Ava narrowed her eyes.

“Try me.” She challenges. Sara just chuckled.

“Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to say. I’ve already probably said more about the League than I should have. But figured you would know how to keep a secret.” She said with a shrug. Ava was about to argue, but Martin walked over to the two.

“Captain Lance. Do you think you might assist me with a project?” He asked. Sara nodded gratefully, bolting out her seat and away from Ava. She needed to give the agent time to cool off.

He led her over to another table where he had the hyperspectral camera and a set of tools. “I think I may be able to convert the camera into a spotlight.” He said. “It already projects the right wavelength of UV light to be able to see the anomalies and by reversing the polarity of a few components, we can turn it into a searchlight instead of a camera. That way everyone can see the anomalies, instead of just those looking into the viewfinder.” He said. Half of his pitch was far beyond Sara’s technological know how, but she nodded.

“How can I help doc?” She asked. Martin smiled, picking up a screwdriver and pointing at one of the loose components.

“Hold that in place for me.” He said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have the last major character in the story. A young Zari. Out of the Legends characters, Sara, Amaya, and Zari are my favorites. Ava is a close second tier. I admit it probably would have been great to see Zari as a soldier as well, but for the role this character has to play, Zari is the most well suited. 
> 
> Ava's kind of discovering that Sara isn't just a cold-hearted killer like she thought, though they clearly have differences of opinion and I think, even in the show, Ava finds that threatening. 
> 
> There's still a lot of story to fit into 6 more chapters, but it'll be well worth it, I think. They're one step closer to figuring out, at least a way to fight these things. And Ava is one step closer to admitting that Sara is more than just an assassin ;) 
> 
> Also, the italics throughout the story will be characters (pretty much exclusively Ava or Zari, occasionally Behrad) speaking Romanian. I really don't like using Google Translate generally for stories, both because a lot of time translations are inaccurate and because I hate breaking up readability with a foreign language. Like back in the day when people would copy/paste Google Translate passages into the middle of dialogue and provide the translations in the notes section. That always bugged me. So not doing that. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.


	10. Extraction II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character Death

I.

Everyone worked through the night, though Sara mostly avoided Ava. She could tell that the agent was still a little sore at some of the arguments she had made earlier. So instead she helped Amaya with making iron grenades. “I think I have you beat,” Sara said, finishing another. Amaya just laughed. 

“Probably, but what I lack in weapons mastery, I make up for with teamwork, which I know you don’t have a lot of.” Amaya teased. Sara just shrugged. 

“Assassins work alone.” She said in an overly dramatic tone of voice. 

“Next thing you know, you’ll be saying you take your drinks shaken, not stirred,” Amaya replied. Sara laughed. 

“Shaken is for lightweights that can’t hold their booze,” Sara stated. Amaya nodded in surrender. 

“From our time in Iraq, I know you’re anything but a lightweight.” She said. Sara just grinned. 

“What can I say? I like my alcohol.” She said with a shrug. The pair glanced over at Martin who was at the radio with Wally. After he had successfully been able to convert the camera into a searchlight by reversing the polarity on a couple of parts with Sara’s help, he had contacted base and was currently instructing them on how to build their own. They hoped that the scientists there were competent enough to build a couple on their own with Martin’s instructions. It wouldn’t do to send them into an extraction mission blind if they could help it. 

“Ava seems… a little grumpy.” Amaya said, changing the subject. Sara looked over in her direction and saw the agent completely absorbed in her work, though her posture was rigid and she was using a bit more force than necessary. Sara just shrugged, focusing on her own work. 

“She and I… don’t quite see eye to eye on a few things. And I may have brought one of those things up earlier.” Sara said. She didn’t regret voicing her opinions. But she did have a twinge of remorse that Ava had been seemingly so ready to group her with the reputation of the League. Not that she necessarily blamed her for that. It was human nature. But she couldn’t deny it still hurt a bit. 

“You can be a bit… abrasive.” Amaya said in response. Sara frowned but just continued to put iron filings into the jar she was working on. “But Agent Sharpe is short with almost everyone. Trust me.” The soldier said. Sara just shrugged. 

“Yeah.” She said absentmindedly. 

“But she won’t let her differences with you get in the way on the field,” Amaya added as if to soothe Sara’s mind. Sara glanced over at Ava again.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” She said. She found herself wanting to know more about the agent, outside of the war and their respective jobs. But she was also finding it insanely hard to break through the icy professionalism of Agent Sharpe. Amaya gave Sara a look. 

“So you do have a thing for her then.” She said, not as a question but as a statement. Sara frowned. 

“No. I’m just…” Sara trailed off. Amaya chuckled. 

“Fine, have it your way. But you sure seem more interested in her than just a friendly curiosity.” She stated with a shrug before focusing back on her iron filings and gunpowder.

II.

It was late into the night, so much so that it was, in actuality, early the next morning when Sara and Amaya had piled up a sizable stack of makeshift grenades. The two had chatted about various things, mostly reminiscing about their time together in Iraq and Amaya sharing gossip about her squadmates. 

In turn, Sara divulged a few things about the League that she could share. And a few things that she probably shouldn’t have but after all of this, she trusted Amaya to keep her secrets in confidence. Perhaps something Nyssa would have her whipped for doing, but what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her Sara reasoned. 

Amaya decided to call it quits for the night. They had gotten a lot done in a short amount of time and if they were going to make it to the extraction point, it was in her best interest to get at least a couple hours of sleep. “You should get some shut eye too Sara,” Amaya said to her assassin friend. Sara just shrugged. 

“I”m too wired. I don’t usually sleep a lot on a hit and I don’t know if I could sleep even if I tried.” She said. Amaya gave Sara a concerned look but didn’t push. Instead, she wandered over to an empty corner and curled up. Sara, instead looked around at everyone. The rest of the squad had been sleeping on and off between making grenades. 

She glanced over and saw Martin and Ava still working on guns and they still had a couple of modify. Sara sighed, walking over to the two. She put her hand on Ava’s shoulder gently as not to scare her. Ava looked up at Sara. 

“You should get some sleep,” Sara said to the agent. Ava shook her head. 

“We need to get these done.” She replied. Sara sighed, sitting down next to Ava. 

“Then let me do it. You need to sleep. You too Martin.” She said, looking at a tired looking Martin Stein. “I can handle this.” She said, picking up one of the unmodified guns and swiftly beginning to dismantle it.

Ava tried to protest but Sara gave her a withering look. Ava wisely decided to not fight Sara on this one. She knew when to pick her battles. Instead, she sighed, handing her tools to Sara. “Thank you,” Sara said with a smirk, rather proud of herself that she had won. Ava just rolled her eyes. 

“Just make sure they work in the morning Captain Lance,” Ava said, looking around for an empty spot to get some shut-eye. 

“Thank you Captain Lance,” Martin said gratefully. Sara nodded at him with a smile.

“You know, you can just call me Sara.” She said, examining the rifle she was working on a little more closely. Martin shrugged. 

“Call me old-fashioned.” He said jokingly, but with a little tone of something else that Sara easily recognized. Pain. Sara looked up. Despite having to keep it together for the sake of getting everyone else out of here alive, she could tell Martin hadn’t really had proper time to grieve for the young soldier they had lost.

“I didn’t get to tell you before, I’m sorry about Jax. I’ve heard how close you two were.” She said sympathetically. Martin sat down across from Sara, his hands reaching for the nearest tool to fiddle with. 

“He was… a brave kid. You know, he never wanted to join the military. Thought his life back with his mechanic job was enough. But I convinced him that putting his mechanic skills to use for the military would be a good idea. Serve his country and make a better living than he would working as an underpaid mechanic in a car shop in Central City. I feel somewhat responsible for his death.” Martin confided in Sara. The assassin paused, setting down the gun she was working on to give Martin her full attention. 

“You only wanted what was best for him Martin. And I’m sure he appreciated that. You showed him that he could choose his own fate. Not all of us are that lucky. He knew the risks of joining up, getting involved with spec-ops and he did it anyway. I’m sure he could have refused you if he wanted. He pegged me as the type of kid that wouldn’t be forced into anything he really didn’t want to do. His death isn’t your fault. As much as you want to beat yourself up over it.” She said, putting her hand on his arm. 

“He was just so young,” Martin said, a couple of tears dripping down his cheeks. Sara gave him a small, reassuring smile. 

“Terrible things happen to the best people sometimes. Who’s to say he might not have been mugged back in Central City and left for dead? Or killed by a car mishap? Or any other number of things. He died a hero and we’ll all make sure he will be remembered as one.” She said. Martin steeled his gaze, nodding stiffly. 

“Yes. I can do that much for him.” He said, his voice cracking. “Thank you Captain Lance.” He said before standing up. Sara nodded at him before he walked off, presumably to be alone to grieve some more. Sara’s attention went back to the gun she was working on. She had a long night ahead of her to finish all these up. 

III.

Sara jolted awake as she felt someone nudge her. She shot up, rather startled, reaching for a knife on her belt before she realized it was just Amaya. She relaxed as she saw Amaya chuckle. “Someone doesn’t like wake up calls, do they?” She teased. Sara huffed, but gathered herself, stretching like a cat. “We’re getting ready to move.” She said, tossing one of the makeshift grenade launchers on her lap before pointing to a nearby table. On it sat an ammo belt that wrapped around her chest with a number of iron grenades slotted into it. “That one is yours.” She said. Sara nodded before grabbing the gun and getting up off the floor. 

She walked over to the table and put the ammo belt around her body, strapping it across one shoulder and it dipping across her body and around her hip. “Hey Doc! Captain Lance. Major Rory. You guys might want to see this.” She heard Wally call from a nearby window. Sara furrowed her brow before jogging over to him. 

Wally pointed out the window. He had turned on the newly modified searchlight and aimed it across the street to the buildings opposite the factory they were in. “I see movement,” Nate said, walking up behind them. Sara frowned, squinting to get a better look. Across the street, she saw anomalies materialize in the searchlight. There were way more than they had ever seen in one place. At least twenty. 

Sara watched them pace back and forth before one backed up and got a running jump, landing on a power line that ran from the building opposite them to the factory. “They’re crossing the barrier! We need to get out of here. Now!” Sara yelled, her voice echoing in the building. Mick jolted up from where he was sitting. 

“Let's get moving people!” He yelled. Everyone quickly scrambled to grab their gear. 

“Get the searchlight, Captain Lance.” Martin said urgently. Sara nodded, grabbing the searchlight and throwing the carrying strap around her shoulder. She grabbed the handholds on the large camera backing up to cover the retreat, making sure the spotlight was focused on the anomalies. 

Ava spoke quickly to Zari and Behrad, urging them to follow. The two children nodded, staying close to Ava as the squad quickly ran down the three flights of stairs. Sara turned to follow them, bringing up the rear. 

Mick led the team out of the front door, holding it open for the rest of the squad to pour out of the building. “We need to get to the extraction point. Quickly.” He growled. Zari tugged on Ava sleeve, saying something to her in quick Romanian. 

“Zari says there’s a shortcut this way.” She said, pointing down a nearby alleyway. 

“Then let's go!” Sara yelled as a couple of anomalies burst through the door. Sara turned to shine the spotlight on them as Nate and Wally took aim and fired with their grenade launchers. Luckily, they seemed to do the trick as the iron filings exploded and the anomalies seemed to hiss in pain. Though they were still moving, just stuck in the iron shavings. 

“That’s not going to hold them for long. We need to move.” Sara said. Mick nodded in agreement. He directed the squad in the direction Zari had pointed them in. Sara moved to the front with the spotlight, Ray, Mick and Amaya directly behind her to provide cover. Ava was behind them, sheltering Zari and Behrad as best she could. Martin, Nate, and Wally brought up the rear as they all ran down a nearby alleyway. 

They managed to make it to a side street without incident but Sara aimed the spotlight up into a nearby parking garage and saw an anomaly preparing to jump down. Ray and Amaya fired on it, iron shaving exploding on impact. Sara heard a high pitched wail as the anomaly tumbled to the ground, tangled up in the iron filings. The squad quickly ran around it, giving it a wide berth. 

Sara shone the light directed behind them to see at least five anomalies pursuing them at fast speed. “Go, we’ll cover you,” Wally said, looking at Nate, who nodded in agreement. Sara wanted to object but she had no choice but to run ahead. Wally and Nate dug in, planting themselves in the rubble as they fired off shot after shot at the anomalies. Each impact exploded with iron shavings, mixed with dust and debris from the rubble. 

“That should buy us a little time,” Wally said, giving Nate a high five. The two booked it after the squad who had run a little ahead of them. 

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes of hard running, they reached the entrance to the plaza. Zari’s shortcut had saved them at least half the time they would have had to spend otherwise. The squad poured into the open plaza, guns out and ready. Mick scanned the area, pointing at a broken down bus in the middle of the plaza. “There. We can take cover until the extraction team gets here.” He said. The team followed his lead as they all piled into the bus. 

Sara shined the spotlight out the door until it started flickering. Sara prodded the searchlight until the light failed altogether. Sara hit the thing a couple of times before giving it up. “Uh, we have another problem.” She said, gesturing to the camera. Martin made his way to the front of the bus to inspect it as Sara looked at the rest of the squad. Nate and Wally were breathing heavily from having to catch up after providing them cover. Amaya, Mick, and Ray were all looking warily out the windows. And Ava was holding Zari’s hand who in turn had an arm wrapped around her brother. 

“It’s dead.” Martin declared. “We’re sitting blind here.” He said. The rest of the squad shifted uncomfortably. Zari sensed the unease and let go of Ava’s hand to hug her brother. She took the ceramic tile out of her pocket and hesitantly handed it to Behrad. Sara watched him accept the token and look up at his sister. Zari shook her head and he bit his lip, rather determined to be tough for his sister. Instead, he closed his fist around the tile and hugged Zari. 

Sara listened for any subtle noises of anomalies but she heard nothing. Her enhanced senses seemed to be just finely tuned enough for her to hear noises from them where the others could not. Maybe there was something to General Hunter’s theory about her time in the Lazarus Pit.

IV.

Suddenly, they heard a grinding of wheels as a tank came rolling through a large archway with a hyperspectral spotlight attached to one of the gun turrets. Sara sighed a breath of relief as a couple more transports rolled into the plaza. She looked around and saw at least thirty anomalies standing in the windows of the buildings surrounding the plaza. The rest of the squad tensed, gripping their guns more tightly. Sara unstrapped the broken spotlight from around her body. It would only slow her down and Martin seemed to not object. 

Quickly, soldiers poured out of the transports and dug themselves into the environment around the plaza, their guns drawn. “Let’s go,” Mick growled, emerging from the bus cautiously. The squad followed but suddenly the anomalies started to jump from the windows, landing gracefully on the ground and charging towards the transports and soldiers guarding them. 

“Open fire!” Their commander yelled as gunfire broke out across the plaza. The squad ducked behind a large statue in the middle of the plaza as bullets raced towards the anomalies. But they had little effect as the anomalies just charged forward, slamming into soldier after soldier with their signature cracking sound as Sara watched the men and women fall to the ground. 

She beckoned for the squad to follow her as she stuck to the shadow of the statue, making her way around it and ducking into a nearby ditch. Amaya, Ray, Mick, Nate, and Wally were providing as much cover as they could by firing off grenade after grenade, but their ammo was limited and ran out after a few more shots. Sara looked up to the sky as she heard the sound of a chopper hovering below a larger air transport. 

“We need to get to the chopper,” Sara yelled as a live grenade rolled too close to them and exploded, causing the soldiers to hit the dirt for cover, Ray and Nate being thrown to the side by the impact. 

“Is everyone okay?” Ava yelled above the gunfire still echoing around them. Everyone nodded, Sara adjusted her helmet. She took a quick headcount and frowned. They were one head short. She scanned the area and a panic quickly set in. Behrad had escaped Ava’s watch in the blast. Zari screamed at her brother who was standing near a pile of dead soldiers. He bent down to pick up the ceramic tile that had been knocked from his grasp in the blast. 

Sara saw before anyone an anomaly racing towards the young boy. She quickly scrambled out from cover as the rest of the squad made their way to the chopper. Zari desperately went to follow Sara, but Ava grabbed her around the waist to prevent her from following. 

Sara strained her muscles to reach the boy in time, but even she couldn’t outrun one of the anomalies. She heard Zari scream behind her as the young girl managed to slip out of Ava’s grip and run after Sara. But it was ultimately too late as if in slow motion, she heard the signature crack as Behrad fell to the ground. Sara gritted her teeth, shoving a grenade into her gun and shooting at the anomaly with a pained yell. Her aim was good and the anomaly wailed as it ran off towards the rest of the anomalies. Ava caught up with Zari who had tears streaming down her face, picking the girl up and carrying her towards the chopper.

Sara reached Behrad’s body, sliding into the rubble, her heart aching for the boy. Time seemed to stop around her as she picked up the ceramic tile he had left their protection to retrieve. Sara wanted to throttle the boy but she couldn’t fault him for his priorities. If it had been her canary charm, she might have done much the same thing to retrieve it. 

“Captain Lance, we need to go!” She heard Ava, but her voice sounded far away. Sara looked up to see a number of anomalies charging at her. At least ten. Sara’s hair whipped around her face from the force of the wind generated from the chopper. She got to her knees, looking down at the remaining five grenades on her belt. She quickly unstrapped it from her body, holding one end of it like a whip. 

“Sara, what are you doing?” Amaya yelled over the sound of the chopper blades. But Sara ignored it, swinging the belt over her head before she brought it down in front of her, smashing the bottles into the ground. The force of the chopper winds sent the iron filing blowing towards the anomalies, stopping them in their tracks. The force of the wind combined with the iron filings seemed to cause the anomalies to have to fight harder against the tide. Like a human struggling to walk against a wind storm. 

Sara felt a hand around her arm, pulling her to her feet. Sara looked up to see Ava dragging her towards the chopper. She slipped the ceramic tile into the pocket before following Ava willingly into the chopper. “We need to go. Now.” Ava said seriously as she ushered Sara onto the chopper before climbing in herself. Sara heard the anomalies scream a high pitched scream as they escaped, safe for now, but as a high price. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's one of THOSE chapters again. I apologize for taking a little longer with this one. It was another one that was hard to pull myself together long enough to write. 
> 
> So next chapter, without fail, we'll get some Avalance content. I'm going to preemptively apologize for the abruptness of it, but sometimes in a warzone your adrenaline is pumping so much and so often that the moment you finally get to relax, it's like your brain turns back on and you're able to process things with a clearer head. 
> 
> I also realized in previous chapters I had said lead but in actuality its iron. I went back and fixed it in prior chapters, but if you're reading this as it's published, it's just a thing to be aware of. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. It's only been a bit over a month and I'm already missing Legends D: It's going to be a long hiatus I think.


	11. Sanctuary

I.

The team huddled together in the air transport to be airlifted back to base to regroup. They all looked a little shaken from the adrenaline filled day they had. Zari was sitting quietly between Sara and Ava. Ava sat stiffly in her seat, glancing at Sara every so often who was not really paying attention. 

Sara was also sitting quietly, but also absentmindedly had put an arm around Zari’s shoulder. The young girl had not protested, instead scooting closer to Sara, trying to rest her head against Sara’s shoulder. Though she was not quite tall enough, even sitting down and ended up tucking her head in the crevice above her armpit, against Sara’s heavy kevlar vest. In some ways, the assassin felt a little guilty for what had happened. Despite telling Martin that Jax’s death wasn’t his fault, Sara felt that somehow, she could have, should have, prevented Behrad’s death. That she could have protected him if she had kept a closer watch on him. And somewhere in the back of her mind, that she could have protected him if she had just been a little faster. 

The rational part of her brain would tell her that there was nothing she could have done and that it wasn’t her fault. But the traitorous part of her mind that still retained what emotion and humanity she had left wished that Zari wouldn’t be left without a family when this was all over. And if the myths were to be believed, all because the military had started a civil war.

“What?” There was a silence for a few seconds. “Okay General. Rory out.” She heard Mick say into the radio he had been on since they had gotten into the air. 

Ava looked out the open air side entrance to the transport and frowned. “This isn’t the way to base.” She observed. Amaya looked out as well and nodded in agreement. 

“We’re not going back to the base,” Mick growled. “General Hunter briefed me on what happened in the last few hours. He had to flee base because it was overrun by anomalies. He’s airlifting us to a civilian bunker and will meet us there when he can.” 

“Is everyone okay?” Ray asked. Mick shrugged. 

“I guess we’ll find out,” Mick replied. Sara looked around and saw a concerned look on pretty much everyone’s face. Nate punched the metal wall of the transport in anger. Wally and Amaya looked in his direction. 

“What?” Wally asked. 

“This is fucking hopeless!” Nate yelled. Zari flinched at the sudden outburst. Sara tried to calm her down by lightly stroking her black hair. “20 good soldiers. Jax. The kid. All dead. And we still have no way to fight these things.” He shouted. Zari inched closer to Sara as Amaya reached out and grabbed Nate’s arm. 

“Yelling about it isn’t going to do any good. Except maybe encourage Mick to give you a black eye.” She said. Nate stood stiffly for a few minutes before finally relaxing. Nodding in Amaya’s direction. 

“You’re right.” He sighed. Mick, who had tensed up as well relaxed a little bit as well, though clearly still on edge. 

“Once we have a chance to regroup, we can figure out what to do next. But for now, we make do. We always do.” Mick grumbled. Nate nodded slightly in agreement. The rest of the squad looked at each other but stayed silent. 

Sara crossed her arms, sitting back in her seat, observing the rest of the squad. Most of the soldiers, Sara could see, were exhausted. Completely understandable given the ordeal they had been through. The countless deaths, running for their lives from the anomalies, and everything else. Zari was nearly asleep against her side. Sara sighed, wondering where they were all to go from here. 

II.

The transport touched down on top of a tall plateau where the team saw a large set of bunker doors leading into a large warehouse-sized building. One by one, they jumped off the transport, Ava and Sara helping Zari down, setting her carefully on the ground. Zari kept close to Sara as the group neared the entrance. Suddenly, some Moldovan soldiers popped up from behind some boxes that they were using as barriers, shouting in Romanian. Everyone ducked down behind other crates and boxes for their own cover. 

“Can you talk to them?” Sara asked Ava, who was crouching behind the same crates she was. Ava nodded, shouting at the soldiers in Romanian from behind her crates. The soldiers paused before replying. Ava nodded in Sara’s direction, standing up from behind her cover. 

“They’ll let us in.” She said. Sara nodded as the rest of the squad got up, most slinging their gun straps over their shoulder. Zari stayed glued to Sara’s side as the doors to the warehouse opened and they all walked inside. 

Sara looked down the long, dark hallway to see countless refugees and Moldovan soldiers hanging around, some tending to family members and others just resting on the floor. Sara kept a stoic, neutral look on her face as she took in the countless families, ripped from their homes and displaced because of this civil war. It was pitiful to look at, yet she was a veteran assassin. She had seen these conditions day in and day out. Many people, she may even say the majority of people she came across on a hit lived in similar conditions every day. 

All they had were family. They had lost their homes, their stability, even some loved ones. And as she looked around, she saw what families were left hanging on to each other for dear life. It was enough to break anyone’s heart. 

Suddenly, Sara felt a tug on her arm. She looked down to see Zari swaying left and right before collapsing, having grabbed onto Sara’s arm to steady herself. Sara quickly bent down, and carefully but urgently picked Zari up in her arms. “We need a doctor here! Quickly.” She yelled. The rest of the squad looked concerned but wisely gave them space as a man in a white lab coat came rushing over to them. 

“Bring her this way.” He said, rushing off down the hallway. Sara quickly ran after him, careful to keep Zari from bouncing around too much. Ava followed closely behind Sara. They reached a set of wheeled beds where the doctor instructed Sara to set Zari down. Sara complied, gingerly setting Zari down on the bed. 

As the doctor checked Zari out, the small girl held onto Sara’s hand as best she could, though Sara could tell that she was slipping in and out of consciousness. The man pushed Zari’s large coat and shirt aside to see a rather bloody wound on her right shoulder. “She’s got some shrapnel in her shoulder. We’re going to have to remove it here.” He said grimly. “Our conditions aren’t ideal in this place, but it’s the best we have.” He said to Sara and Ava. Both blondes looked at each other but nodded. It was important to remove the shrapnel. The girl would certainly die if it didn’t come out. 

“Give us a minute?” Sara asked. The man nodded. 

“I need to go get some things to prep her. I’ll be right back.” He said as he walked quickly away. 

Zari looked up at Sara and Ava, who both smiled at her. Sara reached into her pocket and took out the ceramic tile, putting it in Zari’s hand. The girl grinned as best she could, before coughing and saying something in Romanian. 

Ava nodded, turning to Sara. “She said her father made ceramic containers for Maserov. She said she knew that we wanted to know more about her father, but she didn’t know too much. He didn’t talk about his work often. But I know that Maserov is the power plant where the anomalies came from. He may have known more about these things than we have ever found out.” She said. Sara was about to reply when the doctor came back with some medical supplies and a mask. 

“I’m going to need to take her into surgery. The sooner we get this out, the better.” He said. Sara nodded, squeezing Zari’s hand before the doctor slipped the mask over her face and wheeling the bed away. 

III. 

Ava and Sara wandered off together, finding an empty corner and sitting down next to each other. Finally being able to relax a little bit. “Hectic day, eh?” Sara joked, trying to lighten the mood. But one look at Ava, wrapping her arms around her knees, her knees bent and chin resting on the tops of them, she knew Ava really wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “Hey, are you okay?” Sara asked. Ava shrugged. 

“I’ve seen hundreds of soldiers and agents die in the line of duty. We all know when we sign up, what we’re getting ourselves into. That we willingly accept the risk and possibility of death because it’s for the good of everyone.” She started. Sara sat up a little straighter, listening to the agent. “But fighting and dying to something that we can’t even touch or have any knowledge of how to fight? That’s not what these people signed up for.” She said. 

Sara nodded in agreement. “You’re right. It’s not. But I know someone as stubborn as you isn’t going to just give up.” Ava raised her head to look at Sara for the first time since they had sat down. “You may hate me and my guts and my profession and my allegiances, and you may try to hide it behind your government stiff persona, but you really care about the people you’re serving with despite any personal beef. I can see that. And I’m pretty sure you’re not going to let Jax and all those other men and women’s lives be forgotten or wasted.” Sara said with a shrug, leaning back against the dirty wall. Ava sighed. 

“I don’t… hate you.” She said begrudgingly. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m not exactly sure what your definition of hate is then, but you sure as hell seem to.” Sara prodded. Ava groaned. 

“I told you, I’m not afraid to die. As well as everyone else, I knew the risks, joining the CIA and accepting this job. And many others. But seeing you unnecessarily risk your life for everyone else that could take care of themselves? I was… scared.” Ava admitted quietly. Sara frowned. 

“Isn’t that what I’m here for? I’m expendable.” Sara said bitterly. Though the US government knew her worth, she was sure that their loyalty to her was out of efficiency, not about caring for any individual in the League. All things being equal, most governments hated contracting the League, but it was their only professional option in most cases. 

“Maybe to the top brass. But anyone in the field? We take care of our own, even if you’re part of the League.” Ava said. Sara smirked. 

“Aw, Agent Sharpe. Are you saying you care?” She joked expecting a shove and a glare, though she got the complete opposite.

Ava blushed a deep shade of red, which Sara noticed but refrained from teasing her about. Ava though nodded slowly. “I do. Sara.” She said quietly. Sara raised an eyebrow. The agent had called her by her first name for the first time since they had met. Sara sat up and reached over to put her hand on top of Ava’s hands. “Seeing you recklessly put yourself in danger reached me in ways that nothing else has in a long time. I’ve tried to keep my distance. Keep myself under lock and key. But after this mission. Seeing you with Zari. You’re different than I thought you would be.” Ava said. Sara nodded. 

“We’ll get out of here alive. I promise.” Sara vowed. Ava chuckled.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She said. Sara gave Ava a look of determination.

“I don't.” She said confidently. Ava just shrugged.

“I appreciate the assurance, but I can’t say I’m nearly as optimistic as you.” She confessed. Sara just shrugged. 

“I guess I’ll have to be confident and optimistic enough for both of us.” She said cheekily. Ava laughed, untangling her and Sara’s hands so she could let her legs relax and she sat back against the wall. “So.” Sara started, fiddling with one of the zippers on her pants, gathering up her nerves. “You think after this is all over, you’d let me take you out to dinner after all?” She asked. She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t what it sounded like. That she was just curious about Ava. Maybe in a friendly kind of way because Ava was an interesting person underneath the cold exterior. But the heat creeping up her neck and Ava’s smirk made it painfully obvious to both women that it was more than that. 

In the middle of a war zone, there wasn’t a lot of time for personal endeavors like relationships. And even less time in the life of a League assassin. But Sara had been increasingly tired of being alone. And while Sara knew comparatively little about Ava, she knew enough to be interested. She was dedicated. Serious, but Sara knew from their mission that she did care a lot about the people she was deployed with. And Amaya was right. Sara had been interested in Ava. Even just at first glance. This wouldn’t be the first time someone had immediately caught Sara’s eye. But usually, the assassin would just seduce them into a bed and leave in the morning. 

But Ava was different. She challenged Sara. And it was a feat to challenge the assassin. And that alone made Sara mildly interested. She heard Ava chuckle, but nod. “I’ll have to clear a space for you in my schedule for you, Captain Lace. But I think we can work something out.” She teased. Sara rolled her eyes, playfully shouldering Ava. 

“We should probably get some rest while we can,” Ava said. Sara nodded in agreement. And before Ava could protest, Sara laid her head on Ava’s shoulder. Ava chuckled, but allowed it, laying her head against the top of Sara’s head, the two women falling into a light sleep. 

IV.

Sara opened her eyes to see herself in the brightly lit lab again. Her eyes immediately scanned the area to see Damien Darhk observing a human body floating in a tank of liquid, taking notes on his clipboard. She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to walk up to him and punch him in his smug looking face. 

Instead, her dream self walked around the lab, examining some of the lab equipment and other scientists taking their own notes. She noticed a heavy metal door at the far end of the lab that had the words “Project Vanguard” etched in red letters on it. She frowned, making her way to the door. But the further she walked, the further away the door seemed to get. She started running but she could never catch up to the door. She heard someone call her name, the voice echoey and distant. 

‘Just a few more steps.’ She thought to herself but she saw and felt her world shaking before she jolted up out of her restless sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize profusely for taking so long on this chapter. I've been busy with work and life and whatever. But I finally got it done. With some Avalance to boot. It's kind of a touchy-feely chapter but we all need one once in a while, right? Before anyone gets concerned, Zari does survive to the end of the story so she'll be fine. Don't worry about her. 
> 
> I'm not a huge fan of the abruptness of Ava's feelings here but I've tried to make it work as best I could. I may end up writing a sequel to this story, separating from the premise of _Spectral_ but keeping the built-up dynamic between the two from this story. Who knows. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy.


	12. Planning

I.

“Sara, wake up.” The blonde opened her eyes slowly to see Ava gently prodding her awake. She squinted, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

“What?” She asked. 

“General Hunter arrived. Major Rory wants everyone up to help out.” Ava replied. Sara groaned, but nodded, getting up from the floor when she had fallen asleep next to Ava. She then offered Ava her hand. The agent took it and Sara pulled her up from the floor. The two walked to the entrance of the bunker where there was some commotion. Various soldiers on both sides were helping unload a couple of air transports of crates of supplies while General Hunter coordinated the unloading of a few trucks. 

Sara approached General Hunter who was already talking with Mick, Ava following closely behind. “What do we have left?” Mick asked as Sara and Ava joined the conversation. 

“What you see is what we could save. 5 birds, 2 trucks and those crates.” General Hunter said. “They overran the base, cutting through everything. No chance of fighting them.” He said, walking into the bunker; Mick, Sara, and Ava following in toe. “240 men killed.” General Hunter growled. “19 left.” He said as the four made their way through the crowd to an empty space where Legends squad had set up their stuff. Amaya stood and saluted the general, the rest of the team members nodding in acknowledgment. 

“Well, what’s the plan?” Mick asked. 

“There is no plan, Major Rory!” General Hunter yelled. Everyone was a little taken aback at his outburst. “We came here to regroup.” He said, starting to pace. Sara decided to give the general a little space and went to sit down next to Martin, who looked to be deep in thought. 

“We should at least fortify the entrance…” Amaya started. 

“Fortify with what!” Nate cut her off. 

“We need to fortify the entrance while we wait for a rescue…” She tried again.

“Fortify with what? They’re going to come through whatever you put out there.” Wally interjected. 

“What we need to be doing is getting on one of those helos and getting the fuck out of here,” Nate said. 

“There’s twenty minutes of flight time in those birds. Not more!” General Hunter yelled. 

“There’s not enough room for all of us anyway,” Mick said, surprising calmer than the rest of his team. “We need to form teams and take the aircraft…” Mick started. 

“But where are you going to go, Major?” General Hunter asked with some force. “You can't run from them. You can’t stop them. Our weapons are useless against them.” He exploded, clearly frustrated. “We have no idea what they are!” He turned towards Mick. “If they come through that door, we’re sitting ducks.” He said pointing in the direction of the main entrance. The squad started interjecting into General Hunter’s rant. 

“We can’t stop them.”

“There’s got to be something.” 

“God damn it, we’re not going to just give up and die here.” 

Sara glanced at Martin who had furrowed his brow, a trained look of thought on his face. She looked at him curiously. 

“We take what we can and go!” 

“Where are you going to go?” 

“I know what they are,” Martin said suddenly, standing from his place next to Sara. General Hunter paused, turning to Martin. 

“What?” He asked. Everyone’s attention turned to Martin, who was wringing his hands. 

“We think we’re seeing things. We think it can’t be real, but it kills. So it is real.” Martin started excitedly. “It’s something. It’s not light. It’s not shadow or some trick of the mind. Pass through walls, check. Outside the visible spectrum, check. Kills to the touch, check. Carter Hall. He was under a ceramic bathtub, is that right?” He asked. Sara nodded in confirmation. “Tank armor. It couldn’t pass through tank armor.” He said referring to when they were at the extraction point and instead of passing through the armor on the tanks, they anomalies just smashed them instead. 

“M1 Abrams tank armor, that’s ceramic plating everywhere. It cannot pass through ceramic. You know what that means?” Martin asked. Everyone had a perplexed look on their face, so he continued. “It means this stuff isn’t natural. Someone made it. It’s man-made.” He said gleefully. 

“Man-made how?” Nate asked. Martin nodded once, moving in front of the group like he was giving a presentation to a classroom full of students. 

“Okay. You have solid, liquid, gas.” He said, counting them off on his fingers. “Lava can turn into tock. Ice can turn into water. Metals can melt. Those are natural states. But there are  _ unnatural states _ . Artificial states, man-made states. Condensate. Bose-Einstein condensate. A state of matter that was predicted by Nath Bose and Albert Einstein. It has some very unusual properties. It can be slowed down by iron filings. It cannot pass through ceramic, but it can pass through walls. It’s so cold, it will kill you instantly on contact. And it can do everything we’ve been seeing here. To create Bose-Einstein condensate, you need power. And you need a lot of it.” Martin said. 

“Masarov. The power plant.” Ava chimed in, looking at Sara who nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, Masarov,” Sara interjected. “Where they were made. You said this country was pouring billions into weapons research?” She asked. Ava nodded in confirmation of his statement. “This is the weapon. And it was set loose. Or broke loose.” 

“Alright, but these things climb. They’re like humans. It looks like a person.” Wally interjected. Amaya and Nate nodded in agreement. 

“So can marble and clay in the right hands. And I want to know why. Why they look like people.” Martin said with a frown. “I can’t tell you how they did this. What I can tell you…” He paused. “Is that someone made them. And if someone made them, they don’t escape the laws of this world. Nothing does. It can only shine a light on new laws and that’s what we have to learn. They have order and structure.” 

“They can be broken down,” Ava added. Martin nodded. 

“Anything can be broken down. It’s just energy. And since I know what they are, I know the properties. I can build the right weapons.” He said confidently. 

“What kind of weapons?” Mick asked, his arms crossed. 

“Plasmic-discharge. They can tear apart the condensate.” He said. 

“And where do we find weapons like that?” Nate asked. 

“We’re not going to find them, we’re going to build them,” Martin replied. 

Sara stood up next to Martin. 

“Then we build these weapons with what we have.” She said, everyone’s attention shifting to Sara. “We have to in order to stop these things. If we don’t, there's nothing stopping them from spreading and growing exponentially. These things kill to the touch. They've already massacred this country. It’s our responsibility to destroy these things here and now. We’re the last line of defense between them and our world.” She said. She watched the rest of the squad glance at one another, nodding in agreement. These things were dangerous. But they now knew that could develop the capability to fight and destroy them. That alone gave everyone confidence. 

“Sara’s right. If we don’t stop these things here, they’ll spread across the globe.” Amaya said. Martin nodded. 

“Then we use what we have. General Hunter, we need to repurpose the gear we have. Immediately.” He said. General Hunter nodded curtly. 

“I’ll show you what we have, Doctor Stein.” He said, gesturing for Martin to follow him over to the stacks of crates of various weapons and other odds and ends they have salvaged from Waverider base. 

“Do you think this will really work?” Wally asked around. Mick grunted. 

“We don’t really have any other options. I trust the doc. Do you?” He asked. Wally nodded. “Then there’s your answer.”

II.

The Legends all helped the remaining soldiers bring in all the crates of supplies that General Hunter had brought into the bunker, stacking them on a large workspace that they had cleared out for Martin to work. 

Martin opened one of the gun cases and picked up the gun inside. “This has a ground to air tracking scope. We can use these. They have good optics.” Sara helped Martin go through the equipment that the squad brought in. 

“What about this?” She asked, holding up a piece of tech. Martin looked over. 

“Good. That’s good, we can use that.” He said. Sara nodded, setting the box aside. There was a spare crate of electronics. 

“Half of these are labeled defective. Get a voltage counter and start testing these.” He said, handing the box to Wally who took it and nodded, wandering off. 

“Nate, find me a counter and lend me a hand.” The soldier nodded, hustling off in search of the voltage counter that Wally requested. 

Mick walked up next to General Hunter. “My squad will get the job done.” He said, glancing at Sara and Ava who were helping out. 

“Have you finally warmed up to Captain Lance?” General Hunter inquired. Mick grunted. 

“She knows her stuff. She’s welcome to run with us any time.” He said begrudgingly. Sara smiled to herself as her keen sense of hearing picked up on Mick’s statement. 

A number of soldiers rounded the corner with a loud scratching sound of a large, heavy container they were pushing alone the concrete floor. They opened the box to reveal an advanced drone type walker. “Is that what I think it is?” Wally asked looking up from his counter. 

“We got the lotus from base.” General Hunter replied. 

“That’s awesome. Looks like a mechanical rottweiler.” Nate said. Wally nodded. A couple of the men from base began unscrewing the chain hoist on the lotus and fixing a hyperspectral searchlight to the top. 

Martin, meanwhile, had gathered some working parts that Sara and Ava had salvaged onto a work table and was furiously putting together something. He fixed the scope to the top of the gun, plugging various tubing to different components and welding them together. Sara looked up. 

“Anything I can help with doc?” She asked. Martin shook his head. 

“I need to get a working prototype before we can start assembly lining these.” He said. Sara nodded.

“What do they fire?” She asked. 

“A focused energy pulse,” Martin said excitedly. “If my math is right, these pulses are so hot that they can break down the condensate.” Sara nodded. She trusted Martin to have gotten everything right. He was nothing if not thorough. 

“They’ll work. I’m sure of it Martin.” She said, patting his shoulder. He looked up at Sara.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence Captain Lance.” He replied. She just shrugged. 

“Don’t mention it.” She said with a smile before wandering back over to where Ava was sorting through some unopened creates. She knelt down next to Ava. 

“We need to start coming up with a strategy.” She said, picking up some components that Martin had told them to bring to the table. Ava nodded. 

“Once Dr. Stein is able to instruct our guys to assemble these weapons, we’ll get everyone together.” She said. “But getting these going is our first priority. Planning won’t matter if we don’t have weapons to fight these things with.” She said. 

“So, you’re probably glad these things aren’t supernatural, eh?” Sara teased. Ava rolled her eyes. 

“They might as well be that this point.” She said. “Whoever heard of something that can go through walls and kill on contact?” Sara shrugged. 

“You’ll learn that there are stranger things in this world than that.” She said cryptically. She, herself, was a resurrected assassin for god's sake.

“Don’t remind me.” Ava groaned before shoving a stack of crates towards Sara. “Now use those muscles of yours to lug this stuff over to Dr. Stein.” She joked. Sara smirked, flexing a bit. 

“Yes, ma’am.” She teased, picking up all the crates at once with ease. Ava blushed a little, unapologetically watching Sara’s muscles strain slightly with all the weight. 

“You’re doing that on purpose.” She complained. Sara shrugged, her back to Ava. 

“Maybe. What are you going to about it, Agent Sharpe?” She said before walking out of earshot of Ava. 

III.

It took most of the morning and easily into the late afternoon for Martin to get a working prototype together. By then everyone had finished sorting through all the working and relevant parts that General Hunter had salvaged. So while Martin showed the men and women that had fled from Waverider base on their parts to efficiently assemble the weapons, General Hunter and Mick set up a map of Masarov and the surrounding area to formulate a strategy with the Ava, Sara, and Amaya. 

“This is the single largest power plant in the region,” Ava said, pointing to the location on the map as everyone gathered around the table. 

“It’s where the killings started.” General Hunter added. “If they were man-made, they were made here.” He said. Sara and Ava glanced at each other. It would line up with the information Zari had provided as well. 

“That’s less than ten clicks from here,” Mick said. “We can make that in the birds, but it’s probably only one way.” He said. Everyone glanced at one another. They knew they had no choice. If they didn’t stop the condensate at the source, not having a way to escape was the least of their problems.  

“I’ve been talking with the locals most of the afternoon.” Ava stepped in, setting some papers on the table. “It’s been retrofitted many times over the last 20 years. Everything about it screams weapons research.” She said from experience. General Hunter nodded. 

“Good. I’m hesitant to send in Dr. Stein. He’s not in any real shape to infiltrate a facility like this under these conditions.” He said, glancing at Martin down the hallway. “The last mission took more out of his than he wants to admit. Not to mention losing the kid.” He said. Everyone had downcast eyes at the mention of Jax. “So you and Captain Lance will need to infiltrate. You’re the next best equipped to figure things out, Agent Sharpe. And Captain Lance is more than capable of getting you in.” He said. Sara and Ava looked at each other, nodding. 

“We’ll need to create a diversion,” Mick grunted. He pointed to the entrance of the facility on the map. “So you can get in and find the source. And shut it down.” He said. “We have commitments from our Moldovan military allies here to help us with the assault.” 

“Wally and I will help Ava and Sara with the infiltration.” Amaya volunteered. Sara made to protest that she didn’t need back up but one sharp look from Amaya made her think twice. 

“Then it’s settled. We begin the assault tomorrow morning. Let’s finish up construction of our weapons and get some rest. This ends, for better or worse, in the morning.” General Hunter said. 

IV.

For the rest of the evening, everyone helped Martin to construct the plasmic discharge guns. The various soldiers alternated sleeping and working throughout the night. Sara was welding parts to the guns, a mask over her face as sparks flew from the torch. Before long, they had enough for everyone going with them and Martin had modified one of them to sit on a tripod to give it more stability. 

As the last gun was welded, Sara removed her facemask, wiping a few drops of sweat from her forehead. “You ready for tomorrow?” She heard, turning towards the voice and seeing Ava standing next to her. She shrugged. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been in life or death danger.” She said. “In fact, I’ve come back from a mission in the dead category once.” She joked. Ava huffed. 

“Well, that would put a damper on our dinner plans when this is all over,” Ava said. Sara blinked but nodded. 

“I suppose that is true.” She replied. “I guess we’ll both have to come back in one piece then.” Ava nodded. Before she had a chance to respond, the doctor that had taken care of Zari approached them.

“Excuse me?” He asked apologetically. They turned their attention to him. “The girl is awake and asking for you two.” He said. The two women looked at one another before nodded and getting up to follow the doctor. He led them through the twists and turns of the bunker until they reached a makeshift recovery room where Zari was laid on a bed. Her eyes lit up as best they could at the sight of Sara and Ava. The two women smiled as they made their way over to her bed. Sara knelt down next to the bed. Zari reached out and took Sara’s hand that she had rested on the bed. 

“Hey, kid,” Sara said, rubbing her thumb against Zari’s hand. Ava smiled and translated roughly. Zari smiled, speaking weakly in Romanian. 

“She said she’s glad to see us,” Ava said. Sara nodded. 

“We’re glad to see you too.” She said as Ava relayed the message in Romanian. The two stayed by Zari’s side for a few minutes in silence, just drinking in the fact that Zari would be okay. 

“We should let her rest,” Ava whispered to Sara, who agreed. She got up, rubbing Zari’s good shoulder softly. 

“We’ll be back, you need to rest. You’ve been through a lot.” She said as Ava translated. Zari sleepily nodded before falling asleep. The two made their way back to their area of the bunker. “Speaking of rest, we should probably get some as well,” Ava said. Sara shrugged. She felt so wired that she wasn’t sure she could sleep, but with a little coaxing from Ava, she let herself be led over to an empty space on the floor, this time set up with a couple of sleeping pads. The two sat down next to each other, ready to discuss what came next. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the dialogue from this chapter was directly adapted from the movie, if only because it explained it better than I could organically. As far as I know, Bose-Einstein condensate is an actual thing, though under normal circumstances it's extremely fragile because any interaction with the external environment will warm it up enough for it to form into a normal gas and ridding of it of its unique properties. It was one of the flaws of the movie actually that they got too excited about the science of everything that they hyperfocused on it neglecting some other storytelling aspects that probably should have been included. 
> 
> Anyway, we finally have an explanation for the anomalies and how to fight them. And the plan going into the "climax" of the story. I don't know how far I'm going to go past resolving this final fight as far as developing Ava and Sara's relationship further. It may be in a sequel with more info to come if I choose that route. Or potentially tack on a few chapters of epilogue at the end of this with room to continue if I choose later.
> 
> I'm working on the outline for my next project since we're nearing the end of this one, which if you're long-time readers of mine specifically, you'll probably be happy about the next thing I'm going to do :^)
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed.


	13. Shutdown

I.

Ava and Sara settled into their out of the way corner, Sara’s head resting against the damp wall. “Well, it’s do or die, right?” Ava said jokingly with a shrug. Sara nodded slightly.

“We know what these things are and have weapons to fight them. We’ll be able to get out of this alive.” She said with some confidence. Ava bit her lip, but nodded slightly in agreement.

“You’re right.” She replied. “I just can’t help thinking about everything that could go wrong.” Ava said with a shrug. Sara rest her hand on top of Ava’s, who blushed a little.

“If you think about everything that could go wrong, everything will go wrong.” Sara said. “Don’t be distracted by the what-ifs.” She advised. “In the League, they teach you to to your job on instinct. Sure there’s planning and formulating that has to be done.” She said, seeing Ava’s skepticism, but at least the agent hadn’t completely scoffed at the mention of the League. “But experienced assassins complete a hit in the moment. And improvise when necessary. Having a plan is good, but being able to deviate when the opportunity presents itself is also key.” She said.

Ava relented. “In the CIA, the plan and the rules is all we have. All I have.” Ava admitted.

“I can’t imagine having to go by the book for every little detail.” Sara said absentmindedly. “The League is far more… flexible than that.” She said.

“What’s it like?” Ava questioned. Sara raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn’t expected Ava to be at all interested in the League, given her hostility towards it in the past. But she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if she technically should keep that mouth shut.

“It’s not easy.” She started. “Training is long and hard. And often brutal. For those who don’t have what it takes, it’s deadly.” She said seriously “I can’t count the number of scars it's left on me.” She admitted quietly. Ava’s gaze softened a little. “The League leaves its trainees either dead or in peak physical condition. There’s no inbetween.”

“How does that drive your membership number up? If training is deadly?” Ava asked. Sara just shook her head.

“It’s not about getting massive numbers. If that was the case, we could just recruit any freelance mercenary or assassin. It’s about getting elite members in our ranks. And those that can’t achieve it, well…” She trailed off. It sounded harsh when said out loud. And it _was_ harsh. There was no question about that. But anyone who didn’t live in her world couldn’t possibly understand. The League took loyalty to the organization and personal loyalty to their leader, who currently happened to be Nyssa, very seriously. Death was the only option for those who betrayed either. And failing training was seen as a betrayal. The League put its faith in its trainees, and failure was not an option for lack of a better term.

“I… see.” Ava said carefully. It was hard for her to reconcile the intriguing and admittedly genuine person that sat next to Ava with a deadly, cold-hearted killer.

“I really don’t know what the League did to rub you the wrong way. Besides the usual. But we’re not all bad.” Sara tried. “They are like my family. Some of them at least.” She said, thinking back to Nyssa, which was more complicated than it sounded, but she still did consider her ex as, at the very least, a friend.

Ava opened her mouth to reply, but instead a yawn came out. Sara chuckled. “I suppose we should try to get some shut eye.” She said. Ava nodded in agreement, resting her head on Sara’s shoulder without saying a word. Sara was somewhat surprised, but said nothing as she felt Ava’s breaths even out as she drifted to sleep herself.

II.

Sara was honestly getting tired of these dreams as she found herself, once again, in a brightly lit lab surrounded by dead bodies in tanks. She watched various scientists writing on clipboards and examining equipment in the lab. She glanced around for Damien who she knew would be around here somewhere.

She spotted him bending over a pool of liquid, examining it closely. Before she had a chance to move, however, she heard a rumbling, followed by the entire lab shaking. Alarms started blaring, echoing throughout the lab as the lab was bathed in red, flashing lights. Scientists started yelling what sounded like orders in Romanian while others started talking quickly with a look of panic in their eyes.

She watched Damien quickly turn his attention to the metal door with _Project Vanguard_ written vertically on it, rushing over to it and turning the wheel on it to open the door. She followed him as he grabbed a metal tool from the wall just inside the door. As she stepped inside the room, she paused.

The entire circularly shaped room was filled with individual pods like something out of the Matrix. Each was filled with some sort of liquid and inside, resting in the pods were anomalies. Humanoid condensate. The shaking of the lab continued as she heard glass cracking. Her head shot up to one of the upper pods which started leaking liquid onto the already damp floor. Damien also looked up in fear before he started running towards a machine in the center of the room. They were stood on a raised platform with stairs leading up and down to reach all the pods that lined the walls. At least a hundred pods in total.

Though before he got close to whatever he was planning on doing, Sara heard the glass crack and shatter as a specter shot out of the pod and flew towards Damien. Before the man knew it, or before he could even try to defend himself, Sara heard a loud snap and then clink of metal as Damien dropped dead to the floor, the metal tool he had falling away from his hand. The shaking continued as more, but not all, pods started to crack and break, releasing the anomalies from their prisons and allowing them to swarm throughout the lab, killing everyone inside.  

III.

Sara awoke to Amaya prodding her gently with her foot. “Did anyone ever tell you it’s rude to wake a lady from her beauty sleep?” Sara said, yawning. Amaya just rolled her eyes, tossing a plasma gun on Sara’s lap.

“Up and at em’ Lance.” She teased. “We’ve got some condensate to crush.” Sara just rolled her eyes, picking the gun up from her lap and standing up. She looked around and spotted Ava before walking over to the agent. Martin was talking her through how to properly use the searchlight.

“It’s relatively simple, just keep the light tracked on the anomaly.” Sara said as she approached. Ava glanced at Sara before rolling her eyes.

“Good morning, Captain Lance,” Martin said. Sara smiled, returning the greeting.

“Morning doc.” She said before turning to Ava. “If I can do it, I think you can too.” Sara said encouragingly. Ava nodded stiffly. Martin watched the two for a second before grabbing a helmet and passing it to Sara.

“The hyperspectral goggles on this have been fitted with more sophisticated tracking equipment. Hopefully paired with your new weapon, you’ll be able to take out any anomalies that you run into. Though hopefully, Major Rory’s distraction will keep most of them at the front gates.” He said with a twinge of sadness to his voice.

“We’ll all come back from this doc,” Sara assured him. “And we’ll make sure Jax didn’t die for nothing.” Martin nodded.

“Thank you, Captain Lance.” He said before turning his attention to another set of soldiers. Ava gestured for Sara to follow her before walking off. Sara followed right behind her. Ava walked over to what looked like a pile of equipment. She set the searchlight down beside her, bending down to pick something up from the pile. She turned and handed Sara a spare set of hard plastic pads for her joints, not unlike some gear one would use when learning how to roller skate, and a slightly bulkier vest than the one she was currently wearing. Sara accepted the new gear from Ava questioningly.

“Don’t know how effective they’ll be, but I’d feel better if the one of us carrying a gun had a bit more padding.” Ava said a little shyly. Sara smirked, but nodded before strapping the elbow and knee pads over her cargo pants and undershirt. She turned her attention to the new chest protection before handing it to Ava.

“You mind helping me with this?” She questioned coyly. Ava swallowed but nodded, accepting the vest like padding from Sara. It fastened in the back, though if she had tried, Sara probably could have done it herself. But she did relish in asking Ava to do it. Sara removed her current Kevlar vest and helped Ava put on the new one.

“The one General Hunter issued you was a bit older since it was what we could spare at the time. But since you’re mission critical, I’m sure he won’t mind swiping one of the new ones.” Ava murmured as she clipped the vest together at the back, tightening the straps until it fit snuggly. Sara nodded.

“So Amaya and Wally will be coming with us while everyone else goes with the major to the distraction point?” Sara questioned, wanting to be sure she knew what was going on. Ava turned Sara around to inspect the front of the vest, nodding.

“Yes. We need to get in and find the point of origin for these things and find a way to shut them down.” She said. “There, I think you’re good.” She said. Sara rotated her shoulders, finding that the vest was snug, but loose enough that she still could move easily in it.

“Thanks.” She said, looking up at Ava who just nodded.

“Don’t mention it.” The agent replied, averting her eyes from Sara’s gaze. Sara, for her part, just strapped the plasma gun’s strap across her shoulder, grabbing the helmet and fastening it to her belt for the time being. They were due to lift off to Masarov within the hour.

Ava cleared her throat. “I should… probably go make sure Captain Jiwe and Corporal West are prepared as well.” She said awkwardly. Sara looked up, nodding. Ava spared one more glance at Sara before walking away.

IV.

“Captain Lance. I hope my faith in you is not misplaced today.” Sara heard from behind her in a rough voice. She turned to see Mick standing behind her, equipped with more high tech equipment than she had seen on anyone else. He had similar hard plastic pads on his joints, shoulders, and hardened Kevlar vest. And under his arm was a helmet with a metal face mask hanging from the strap.

“It’s not, Major Rory.” She said confidently. He grunted before nodding once.

“I’m entrusting Captain Jiwe and Corporal West to you. They’re two of my best soldiers, ones in any other circumstance I would want charging the front line with me.” He said seriously. Sara hardened her gaze and nodded.

“Why is Wally only…” She said before he cut her off.

“West has been with us the least amount of time and has, unfortunately, not given me an opportunity to promote him yet.” He said, clearly in confidence to Sara. “If it were up to me, he would be much further along in the ranks. But I’m sure you know at least a little something about military ranking politics.” He said with some distaste. Sara only nodded affirmatively.

“My squad is like family, Captain Lance. Don’t lose any more of them.” He grunted before leaving her to herself.

V.

The time had come and everyone who was going to assault Masarov had gathered outside, waiting to get into their transports. Sara stood next to Ava, Amaya, and Wally at a seperate, smaller chopper that would take them to their own drop point so they could infiltrate the factory away from the front doors where Mick and the rest of the soldiers would be putting up a fight of a lifetime. Sara glanced at Ava, who was standing stock still, like a statue. She frowned, before making a decision and grabbing Ava’s hand to pull her off behind one of the crates.

Amaya seemed to notice that Sara was leading Ava away and engaged Wally in conversation, throwing a wink Sara’s way. The assassin rolled her eyes but continued to drag Ava behind a barrier of sorts. Ava had let out a soft yelp as she had been dragged away but followed Sara anyway.

“Sara, what -” She started before the assassin put a finger to her mouth to silence her. Ava narrowed her eyes at Sara’s bold statement, moving to open her mouth again, despite the warning. This time, Sara just moved forward and leaned up, pressing her lips against Ava’s. The agent was immediately silenced, though a look of surprise cross her gaze before pressing back

Sara broke their kiss first, stepping back to a respectful distance. “Is this really the time?” Ava hissed quietly, though a clear reddish blush was creeping up the back of her neck. Sara just shrugged.

“We might all die today. I would be kicking myself in the afterlife if I hadn’t taken the chance.” She said nonchalantly before walking away, back towards Wally and Amaya. Ava rolled her eyes at Sara’s antics, but notably didn’t protest and just followed Sara.

Amaya gave Sara a knowing look from observing Ava’s face. Sara just shrugged and said nothing in response. Before long, they all heard the signal to board their transports. It was time to go in.

Mick and the rest of the Legends dropped onto one of the three large, raised concrete docks in front of the power plant. The lotus that had a searchlight attached to its back was also airdropped in with them. Mick scrambled to set up the tripod he had with him as Nate and Ray helped fit one of the proper guns to the stand. Mick stood watch as he fastened the mask across his mouth and nose, dropping the hyperspectral goggles over his eyes. He saw anomalies start to phase through the door towards them, running quickly. “It’s ready Major,” Ray said, getting in position behind some sandbags they had set up.

Mick nodded, hurrying behind the gun and looking down the scope. He focused in on the anomaly running in the front of the pack. “This is for the kid.” He growled before pulling the trigger. A hot burst of plasma shot out from the barrel and hit its mark. The anomaly let out a horrible screeching noise as it exploded from the impact, wisps of condensate were all that was left as the anomalies kept coming. “They work. Drop in now!” Mick yelled into his comms as the rest of the soldiers that had been waiting in their transports took their cues, dropping quickly onto one of the three docks and starting to shoot off round after round of plasma.

HIgh above the fighting, Sara, Ava, Amaya, and Wally also dropped onto the rooftop near an access hatch. Sara bent down to unlatch it, opening the hatch and eyeing the drop down. It wasn’t too far, but it was very dark inside. “Ladies first?” Sara teased. Ava rolled her eyes, though Amaya beat her to the punch, dropping in first, gun drawn and goggles pulled over her eyes. She was quickly followed by Ava, then Sara with Wally bringing up the rear.

They had dropped into a dark corridor, the booms and bangs of the combat outside clear for everyone to hear, even without heightened hearing. “Keep an eye out,” Sara whispered as Ava progressed forward slowly behind her, the searchlight sweeping the hallway.

The four progressed down the hallway to a set of metal stairs which they quickly descended into what looked like some sort of boiler room. Sara’s ears twitched as the hair on her arms stood on end. “Look out!” She yelled as she grabbed Ava around the waist and dove out of the way, a pouncing anomaly missing them by inches. Amaya and Wally immediately went on the defensive, keeping their eyes and guns trained on the anomaly as it backed up and went after Sara again. Sara roughly shoved Ava out of harm’s way as she dove to the side herself. Amaya and Wally took aim and fired, but the anomaly was faster than they could aim and shoot, avoiding the hot bursts of plasma.

Sara fired her own gun and got closer to hitting her target, but was still unable to hit it. Ava stayed to the side, keeping the searchlight tracking the anomaly as the three soldiers fired away. However, in a small and confined room with limited visibility, they had to be cautious as to not hit each other. The anomaly launched itself at Sara again, who grabbed Ava’s arm and ducked around a nearby corner as it whooshed by them. Amaya and Wally pursued it down the corridor. “We’ll take care of this, find a way to shut these things down!” Amaya yelled over her shoulder. Both Sara and Ava were really in no position to protest. Sara was breathing heavily as she looked to the side seeing that they had taken cover, not just around a corner but in a doorway.

Sara frowned, the door looking eerily familiar. She carefully reached over and pressed down on the large lever, pushing the door open. The two women stepped into a brightly lit lab that Sara had been in only in her dreams. “This is it.” She said, walking further into the lab. Ava followed her closely.

“What?” Ava questioned as the pair examined the lab equipment.

“This is where they developed their weapon.” She said, walking up to one of the tanks which still contained a human body. “It’s remarkable that all of this has remained in tact for this long.” She said. Ava frowned.

“What do you mean?” Ava asked.

“I’ve seen this place. In my dreams. The Moldovan government commissioned Damien Darhk as the lead scientist on this project.” She said, walking over to a table with files scattered on it, opening one. She couldn’t read the Romanian, but in English stamped across the notes was “Project Vanguard.”

“But… those were just dreams.” Ava said.

“The Lazarus Pit did more to me than just bring me back to life,” Sara said cryptically. It’s not that she believed she could see into the past reliably or anything, but her run-in with the Lazarus Pit had affected her in more occult and arcane ways than she wanted to admit.

“Sara, look.” Ava said, beckoning Sara over to a horizontal tank. Sara walked over. In the tank was a constructed human nervous system with the brain still attached. It was suspended in what Sara suspected to be a preserving fluid to keep the nervous system from dissolving outside the body. She looked at the small screen on the tank. It had a name and a face on it, with some vital signs. “This is how they did it.” Ava said, examining the tank. She walked over to what looked like an assembly line on the other side of the room. Somehow, the backup power in the lab had kept the system functioning and each tank in the line contained a condensate specter, with more being what looked like 3D printed into existence. “They used the human nervous system as a template.”

“So if we shut down this system, the anomalies should stop.” Sara reasoned. Ava nodded.

“Theoretically. Right now it’s the best chance we have.”

VII.

Outside, Mick and his men were successfully pushing back the anomalies, though not without their own losses. His numbers were dwindling and while fewer and fewer anomalies were rushing at them, Mick wondered to himself if it would be enough. And just how many men would he lose?

He, Nate and Ray led the charge shooting left and right at anomalies. Once hit, the specters would let out a scream and dissolve into mist and float away. Each blast with a plasma gun contacting with an anomaly would issue a loud boom.

“Heywood, Palmer, we need to push these things back. Now!” Mick yelled. The two soldiers looked at him and nodded, ramping up their aggression, firing off twice as many bursts. Mick kneeled behind the tripod mounted gun, swiveling it on the stand as he shot burst after burst, in an attempt to take out the remaining enemies.

VIII.

Sara’s eyes fell upon a familiar door with familiar words written vertically on it. “Here.” She said, walking over to it and turning the wheel before pushing it open. The two walked into the dark, wet room. Ava looked up in awe at the hundreds of pods, many of which were broken and liquid dripping from them. Sara’s eyes, however, were fixed on the intact ones. Her enhanced sight could make out the human structure in the anomalies, many of which were pacing inside their pods. Suddenly the two felt the ground shake violently. “What the hell are they doing up there?” Ava questioned. Sara just shrugged but her ears picked up the faint sound of glass beginning to crack.

“We need to shut this thing down, now.” Sara said with some urgency, as she approached the console in the middle. She bent down to see a label etched into the metal. “What does this say?” Sara asked, taking the goggles off as Ava bent down next to her, setting the searchlight down.

“I only recognize half these words. But I think it’s the emergency shutdown procedures,” Ava said. Sara groaned.

“Your best guess then,” she insisted as she looked up to see a large crack forming in a couple of the pods as the shaking from the fighting above them continued. Ava’s eyes scanned the panel.

“As far as I can make out, you need a tool and disconnect all those tubes with it then pull the large lever down.” She said, pointing towards the part of the machine that jutted over the edge of the platform they were standing on. Sara’s mind drifted back to her dream. Quickly she got up and ran over to the single body still in the room. If she had more time, she might have reveled in the death of her sister’s killer, but now wasn’t the time. She quickly picked up the metal tool she had seen him drop next to his body.

“Got it. Now what do I do?” She said, tossing her plasma gun to Ava who caught it with a grunt.

“You need to disconnect those tubes then pull the shutdown switch.” She said, pointing to eight large tubes attached the machine. Sara rolled her eyes, groaning, before she put the tool between her teeth and climbed on top of the machine with a grunt. She inched her way over to the tubes as Ava kept the plasma gun trained on the glass containment pods which cracked a little bit more each time the room shook.

IX.

Mick grunted as he shot off a burst of plasma then lowered his gun. He stood up slowly, the platforms they were all standing on eerily quiet as all the remaining soldiers cautiously looked around. They all stood alone, no anomalies left in sight. Mick turned towards Ray and Nick. “Let’s hope that gave Captain Lance enough time.” He said grimly. Ray’s eyes widened as he pointed behind Mick. The major turned around quickly to see the wisps of condensate start to reform at the end of the docks.

“We’ve got incoming!” He yelled, pushing his goggles over his eyes once again. The ground under them shook as the condensate started to reform into a large mass. Mick took cover next to the tripod gun, as Ray and Nate and the rest of the soldiers on their platform took cover right and left of him. In the middle of the platform, the condensate was forming into a single, large, humanoid specter. Mick growled.

“I did not lose all these men for this!” He said to himself as he loaded more plasma burst cartridges into the tripod gun, picking up a handheld one from a fallen soldier. He aimed the tripod gun as the mass of condensate on the platform let out a high pitched screech and rushed towards Mick and the rest of his men. It only got halfway before he pulled the triggers on both guns, two large bursts of overloaded plasma shot towards the condensate mass, connecting with the target. Mick was blown onto his back from the kickback of the guns as a shaking crash could be heard across all three platforms.

X.

“Sara, hurry it up!” Ava yelled as one of the pods cracked all the way open, one of the anomalies shooting out towards Sara, who had just disconnected the third of eight tubes. Ava yelled, taking aim and shooting a burst of plasma towards the anomaly, the hot plasma making contact before it reached Sara, disappearing into wisps in the air.

“I’m trying!” Sara replied with a grunt as she disconnected the fourth, fifth and sixth tubes. Another shake of the ground and another pod cracked open. Ava took another shot at the anomaly, a screech echoing throughout the room. Sara quickly disconnected the rest of the tubes from the machine.

“They’re all disconnected!” Sara yelled as one last large crash broke open the remaining pods in the room, the anomalies swarming out of their prisons.

“You need to pull the lever in the middle!” Ava yelled as Sara eyed the lever quickly. She scrambled over to the lever but felt a intensely cold, yet hot, pain creep through her body from her right shoulder as one of the specters made contact through her armor and onto her bare skin. She heard Ava cry out, but the immense pain had dulled her senses so she couldn’t make out what it was Ava said. Struggling through the pain, she reached down and pulled the emergency shutdown level, falling backwards off the machine about ten or fifteen feet, landing with a splash into the water and liquid from the broken pods below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	14. Destruction

I.

Ava watched in horror as an anomaly touched Sara, the snapping noise echoing throughout the dark, damp room. “Sara!” She cried out, but it was too late for her to do anything. Spectacularly, Sara powered through it, though her face was contorted in pain as she reached for the emergency shutdown lever, shoving it into the down position before she fell from the machine and landed with a splash into the mixture of liquid from the pods and water below. Before she had a real chance to process, the anomalies stopped in mid-air, frozen in time. It seemed the shutdown procedures had been successful as one by one, the anomalies broke down, the condensate melted away.

Ava dropped the gun, rushing down the stairs to Sara’s unmoving body. She was certain the assassin was dead and Ava was a combination of angry and depressed. She jumped the last few steps, also landing with a splash in the water. She reached Sara’s body, kneeling down next to her. Sara’s eyes were closed. Ava put a hand on Sara’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I couldn’t…” She started before the assassin started to cough. Ava recoiled her hand as if she had been burnt herself. 

Sara opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times before struggling to sit up and shaking her head, water droplets flying. “Ugh.” She groaned. “That was almost as bad as the worst hangover I’ve ever had. And I’ve had some pretty bad ones.” She said, her voice rather hoarse. 

“What…” Ava said, tears shining in her eyes, threatening to fall. “How?” She asked. Sara just shrugged before wincing in pain. 

“Ouch, that hurts.” She said, rubbing her shoulder gently through her shirt. “Dunno.” She said. “Lazarus Pit maybe. If I had known those things wouldn’t have killed me, I could have been more reckless.” She teased, the near brush with death clearly not affecting her snarky personality. Ava just hit her on her good shoulder. 

“I thought I lost you, Lance!” She nearly yelled. 

“But you didn’t. I’m not going to die before I get to take you out for dinner. Though, in retrospect, kissing you earlier was probably a good call.” She grinned before letting out a little whimper as her shoulder throbbed again. Ava looked at the assassin, concerned. 

“Let me look at it.” She said. Sara moved to shake her head in protest but when her shoulder throbbed in pain again, she relented. Ava gingerly removed Sara’s Kevlar vest, slowly pulling Sara’s undershirt away from her injured shoulder. Underneath was a rather nasty sight. The skin had been burned away from the extreme cold of the condensate, leaving a raw patch on her shoulder. “We need to get back to base to get this addressed,” Ava said seriously. Sara just pulled the shirt back over her shoulder. 

“I’ve had worse.” She said, struggling to get up, but Ava put a hand firmly on her thigh to stop her. 

“I’m sure you have, but that could get infected really easily. I’m surprised you don’t have any signs of extreme frostbite.” She said. 

“My body is extremely resistant,” Sara said, a clear effect that Lazarus Pit had on her. She knew that those who simply bathed for prolonged periods, like Ra’s Al’ Ghul before Nyssa, had highly enhanced physical conditioning. “I’ll be fine.” She insisted. “We need to make sure all of these things are gone.” She said, pushing past Ava’s protest and getting to her feet. Ava stood up next to her. It was clear that Sara was determined, and overall it would be better to just go along with that determination. It would get them back to base faster so Sara could have her injury cleaned and dressed. 

“Look,” Sara said, pointing to a nearby door that neither of them had seen yet. “Let’s check it out.” She said, walking over to it. 

“Wait just a second,” Ava said, hurrying back up the stairs to pick up the plasma gun she had abandoned. She ran back down the stairs to where Sara was waiting, amused. “Better safe than sorry.” She said. Sara nodded in agreement before the two turned their attention back to the door. 

Sara walked over to it, turning the locking wheel on the door, pulling the large metal door open with a screeching noise. The two walked cautiously into the dimly lit room. Inside, there were at least 50 large tanks, similar to the one they saw the human nervous system in. Sara looked in horror as she walked beside the tanks; pictures and names marked on each tank. She wandered over to a table with some files on it. 

She picked up one of the folders as Ava examined one of the tanks closer. She scanned the contents of the folder, which were luckily in English, frowning. “They used them as a control module. Like a controller for the condensate.” She said, walking over to Ava. She looked down at one of the tanks. She heard a very low whispering noise as she looked at it. She frowned. 

“Are they alive?” Ava asked. A valid question. Though they no longer had flesh bodies, the brain and nervous system were still intact. Theoretically, there could be some level of consciousness to them. Sara shook her head. 

“Whatever they are, they’re in pain.” She said, being able to sense at least that. There was no way that these things were human anymore. She reached down, pulling the power cord from the tank that was keeping the nervous system intact. As the liquid drained from the tank, they watched the nervous system and brain break down until there was nothing left. 

Ava protested. “We should let Major Rory and General Hunter come in. This technology could be revolutionary.” She argued. Sara just gave Ava an unimpressed look. 

“You really think handing over this technology to your government is a good idea?” She questioned. “This is a state of the art technological lab.” She said, gesturing around. “We were lucky that Moldova isn’t as populated as somewhere like the United States and even then, there were far too many losses here.” She countered. She moved to unplug another one, but Ava grabbed her arm, stopping her.

“We’re more advanced than this. We can contain them.” Ava insisted. Sara just looked at her skeptically, keeping her hand on the power cord. 

“I’m sure that’s what the Moldovan government said as well.” She said. “Look Ava. I understand your side of things. I really do. Technology like this could revolutionize warfare. But isn’t the questions be not can we, but should we? These things,” she said, gesturing to the nervous systems in tanks, “they’re not alive nor dead. They’re in pain.” She said. “They’re suffering.” She pushed past Ava’s protesting hand, yanking the cord out. 

“Look, I don’t want to fight you on this.” Sara said, stopping and turning to Ava. “But this isn’t a matter of duty. This is a matter of morality. You might think as an assassin, I lack morality. I might in some aspects. But these people, they did nothing wrong.” She handed the file to Ava who accepted it, opening it, curiously looking at Sara. “These so-called scientists kidnapped homeless people off the street. People who no one would miss if they disappeared. And experimented on them. No one is going to willingly subject themselves to this.” She said, gesturing to the tanks. 

Ava sighed, closing the file and handing it back to Sara. She nodded in defeat. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just… We stopped these things, but so many of our forces died. The Legends and around 20 other soldiers from spec-ops are the only ones who survived. We deployed at least 400 soldiers in the country. I just don’t want to leave empty-handed. Come back home and give my report to the CIA director and say we failed.” Ava admitted. Sara’s gazed softened a little, grabbing Ava’s hand gently. 

“Fuck them.” She said bluntly. “If they can’t recognize that you did the right thing, they’re blind. No one country’s interests matter more than the atrocity that occurred here.” She insisted. “They weren’t here. They didn't see what we’ve seen. Been through what we’ve been through.” Ava nodded. 

She walked over to the next tank. She gripped the power cord, inhaling before pulling it out, disconnecting it, the nervous system breaking down. “I’ve been in some rough combat zones. But this one is something new. It’s not even the number of people lost. It’s how. We had no feasible way to fight them until Dr. Stein developed the plasma guns.” She said. “And we had even less idea of what they were until you showed up,” Ava admitted. 

Sara smirked, before pulling out another cord. “That’s what you contracted me for. I always deliver results.” She said. Ava rolled her eye, walking over to another tank. 

“Your track record is impeccable. As always, Captain Lance.” Ava said. Sara raised an eyebrow. 

“Have you been stalking me, Agent Sharpe?” She teased questioningly. Ava blushed a little. 

“I may have read your file before you got here.” She admitted. “I wanted to know who we were working with. And how frustrating you would be.” She said with a chuckle. 

“And what’s your assessment?” Sara asked, genuinely interested. Ava shrugged, pulling the cord from another tank. 

“You are extremely frustrating. You have such a different outlook on life. And I’ll admit, I wasn’t looking forward to someone from the League.” She said, with some distaste. Sara tilted her head to the side. 

“Will you tell me what the League did to you?” She asked. Ava sharply inhaled, but then sighed. 

“I had a partner once. Nora Darhk.” She started. 

“Wait, this shit stain Damien had a kid?” Sara asked. Ava just shrugged, nodding. 

“She never talked about him. I think she disapproved of what he did or something. She once confided in me that she was with the CIA because she felt it was her responsibility to make up for her family.” Ava said. Nora had never divulged all the details of why, one day, she had just shown up at the CIA, talked to Director Bennett and was immediately accepted into their ranks. “But we were on a mission in Afghanistan. Routine. Nothing should have gone wrong. Nothing out of the ordinary.” She started. Sara stopped unplugging cords to give Ava her full attention. It was clearly a painful memory for the agent. 

“I never discovered who ordered the assassination. Nora didn’t talk a lot about her life before the CIA, though I knew there were some less savory things. She was too skilled in some more… rough techniques to think otherwise. But she was going recon. I was monitoring from base. I guess the assassin was a newbie. Or something. He didn’t realize that I was watching. He ambushed her and brutally killed her. I never found out why.” Ava said, breathing heavily to get her through the story. 

Sara frowned. “She was your partner?” She questioned. Ava nodded. 

“I once thought we could have been more. And I think she thought so as well. But sleeping with co-workers is a big no-no in my book.” Ava said. Sara nodded in agreement. “I wanted to do something. Find the assassin. But when I brought Nora’s body, or what was left of it, home, Director Bennett forbade me from ever speaking out about what happened. I think it was because we contract the League out as well. Internal and external politics. We couldn’t pursue the League in Nora’s assassination because if we did, both other governments and the League itself would be bold in called out our own assassination jobs.” She said. Sara nodded in understanding. She knew that if the details of how Nora Darhk died ever came to light, the League would do anything to wipe their slate clean, including killing those who were speaking out. Everyone knew that the League performed assassinations. But they weren't the only ones and they were careful to never be identified in any given assassination. 

Sara went over to Ava, gently hugging the agent, moving slowly so she didn’t spook her. To her surprise, Ava accepted the gesture, wrapping her own arms around Sara’s waist. “I can’t apologize for what happened. It’s who we are. But if it’s any consolation, I understand what it feels like to lose some you’re close to.” She whispered. 

“Your sister?” Ava questioned. Sara just wordlessly nodded against Ava’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She said. 

“I wish every day, that I could bring her back like I was brought back. But I can’t do this to her. She was far better than I ever could dream of being. I had already chosen this path before my death. The bloodlust, the rage, the uncontrollable anger, she would be miserable. And I can’t help but think even if I did bring her back, would she hate me for it?” Sara admitted in a brief second of vulnerability. Ava released Sara, looking at her. 

“She’s your sister. But I understand your reasoning.” She said before sighing. “Enough deep conversation.” She insisted, moving to unhook another tank. Sara nodded before wandering over to a tank as well.

II.

“Sara, are you okay?” A voice said from the doorway. Sara’s head whipped around to see Amaya and Wally standing there, looking around the dimly lit room. 

“Nothing that can’t be repaired,” Sara replied. Amaya nodded slowly, walking over to Sara. 

“What is this place?” She asked. 

“Control central,” Sara said, handing Amaya the file from a nearby table. Wally walked over to scan the file with Amaya. 

“They used the nervous systems to control the anomalies,” Amaya said with a hint of wonder in her voice. Sara nodded, disconnecting the last cord from the last tank. 

“The technology in this room is never to see the light of day, Captain Jiwe,” Ava said, walking over to the two. Amaya nodded in agreement as did Wally. 

“You know you can’t stop General Hunter from casing the lab though, correct?” Amaya said. Sara nodded, pointing at a table with all the files she could find. 

“It’s not much, but burning those should at least set them back a few years. I’m sure they’ll just reverse engineer the tech here, but conceptually, those files are important.” Sara said. Amaya went to set the file she was holding on the table. She backed up before shooting the table with the plasma gun. The intense heat of the plasma set the files on fire and the four watched all the data and research burn to a crisp. 

“The world is way better off not knowing about these things,” Wally said. Ava nodded in agreement, glancing at Sara. 

“We should get back to base,” Ava said. “You need to take care of that shoulder.” She said, not having forgotten her… Sara’s injury. The assassin nodded, wincing in pain again as the shoulder throbbed. It had been alternating between a throbbing pain and a sharp, piercing pain every so often for the better part of the last hour. 

“Yeah. Let’s go.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the last chapter was rude. But you didn't really think I'd kill off Sara, did you? 
> 
> Anyway, we're one chapter out from the ending and everything is winding down. We'll see Zari one more time before the end too, so if you like young Zari, watch out. It's cute. Ava and Sara will take one more step towards starting a real relationship, but we probably won't see it in this story. The romance aspect of this story was certainly an impactful part of it, and both characters have grown a lot because of it, but both Sara and Ava are stubborn. And cautious when it comes to love. Maybe in a sequel, we can explore a relationship between these two characters more. 
> 
> As for my next project, I haven't quite decided. I have my eye set on a basketball or soccer/football (depending on what country you're from) AU that follows middle school aged Ava and Sara through their high school and college sports career as a friends to lovers story. If there's an interest there (immediately or sometime in the future, either or), let me know. Otherwise, I'm also exploring the option to return to the 3rd part of my PJO Supercorp series which I've been neglecting for at least 8 months. I like taking reader's opinions on what I do next into account, so let me know, here or on Tumblr. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys were satisfied with the resolution to this story. One more chapter to go!


	15. Departure

I.

Ava, Sara, Amaya, and Wally emerged from the factory to see Mick, Ray Nate and the rest of the soldiers waiting. “Captain Lance. It seems like I was right to put my faith in you.” Mick said to Sara. “Good job.” He added begrudgingly. Sara gave him a small, sarcastic salute in return. Amaya chuckled, prodding Sara’s side. 

“C’mon, let's get back to the bunker,” Amaya said. The rest of the soldiers that had gathered around the Legends vocally agreed as they all started the long journey back. 

“He’s right you know. You saved lives this time, instead of taking them.” Amaya said to Sara. The assassin just shrugged. 

“Don’t expect me to make a habit of it.” She replied. Amaya rolled her eyes. 

“Just take a compliment for once in your life will you?” The soldier said. Ava laughed a little. 

“I don’t know, give her too many compliments and her head will be bigger than this country.” She joked. Amaya raised an eyebrow as the normally stuffy CIA agent’s joke but chuckled anyway. Sara, for her part, pouted. 

“What is this, ‘pick on Sara Lance’ day?” She complained. Ava smiled, leaning down slightly and kissing Sara on the cheek before taking the assassin’s left hand and intertwining their fingers so that she didn’t further irritate Sara’s throbbing shoulder.  

“Better?” She asked. Sara grinned, nodding. Amaya and Wally laughed at Sara’s clear sense of pride before running along to catch up with the rest of the Legends. 

“Captain Jiwe is right you know. You saved a lot of people’s lives. This could have been a worldwide catastrophe if these things hadn’t been stopped here.” Ava said. Sara again just shrugged. 

“If everyone is dead, how will I make a living killing people?” She questioned. Ava tensed a little. 

“Have you ever thought about leaving the League?” She asked. Sara shook her head almost immediately. 

“That’s all but impossible. Only one man has ever left and lived to tell the tale.” She said. “The League holds your loyalty for life.” She continued, every so often looking down at their hands swinging between them. “And after the Lazarus Pit brought me back to life, well, let’s just say my second chance at life is at the mercy of the League.” Ava nodded slightly. 

“That makes sense.” She conceded. “How’s the shoulder?” She asked curiously. Sara groaned. 

“I’ve been trying to ignore it. I have a high threshold for pain, but it's not every day that a being of pure cold reaches its had through your shirt and nearly freezes your shoulder off. But hey, I could be dead.” She joked weakly. 

“It’ll need medical attention when we get back. And even more when we get back to a less wartorn area.” Ava informed Sara. The assassin just groaned. 

“I hate seeing doctors.” She said. She had some basic medical training from the League but in her profession, everyone needed some patching up from someone with more expertise once in a while. 

“I'm sure you do,” Ava said sarcastically. Sara stuck her tongue out at Ava who just chuckled. “Real mature, Captain Lance.” Sara just shrugged. 

“Is what it is.” She said. Ava rolled her eyes and just kept walking. Before too much longer they were approached by a batch of military vehicles. Mick approached them cautiously. 

“Are you Major Rory?” One of the drivers asked. Mick nodded slowly. “General Hunter sent us. The military sent additional supplies and manpower at his request from our Romanian base. Your mission was a success I assume?” He asked. 

“It was,” Mick grunted before turning to his men. “General Hunter managed to get us some supplies. Get in a vehicle.” He said without another word before hopping onto the nearest one. Ava and Sara got in a nearby one, along with Ray and Amaya for the ride back to the bunker. And a trip that would have taken them all day, only took them a couple of hours. 

II.

The minute they got back to the bunker, Ava walked Sara into a medical unit that General Hunter had set up in anticipation of the soldiers’ return. Sara protested some, but a stern look from the agent shut her up and she sat on the table. The doctor that had treated Zari walked over to them. “Fancy seeing you again.” He said. Sara grimaced. “Not a fan of medical attention yourself, I see.” He said with a chuckle. Sara just rolled her eyes. 

“She’s got a pretty nasty shoulder wound.” Ava supplied. “I’m not sure what can be done about it because it probably should have killed her. But leave it to the stubborn assassin to not die.” Ava teased. The doctor approached Sara, pointing at her vest and shirt. 

“May I?” He asked and Sara nodded in consent. The doctor made to carefully take off her Kevlar vest, unstrapping the snug piece of armor and setting it on a table. Ava watched awkwardly before excusing herself. Sara glared at Ava’s retreating form for leaving her in this situation, but there was nothing she could really do. The doctor proceeded to remove the undershirt, cutting it away from Sara’s shoulder. “Your friend was right, this is pretty nasty.” He said, taking a closer look. “Burn pattern but some sign of early frostbite as well.” He said with a frown. “What gave you this?” He asked. 

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you doc.” She said. “If you can just clean it as best you can and dress it, I can have it taken care of when I get back.” She said. The doctor looked skeptical, but Sara just smiled reassuringly. He sighed and relented with a nod. 

“Just promise me you’ll get this looked at. Preferably by a doctor who has more expertise than I do.” He said, grabbing a cold compress and carefully setting it against Sara’s burn marks. The coolness against her aching shoulder helped to relieve some of the pain. She was somewhat surprised since the condensate had nearly frozen her shoulder off but she wasn’t going to complain. By all rights, she shouldn’t have survived at all. 

Once her shoulder had been chilled a little, the doctor removed the cold compress and began to wrap an Ace bandage around her shoulder. “Can you hold your arm up for a minute?” He asked and Sara compiled as he wrapped the bandage around her shoulder and under her arm until it was tightly wrapped. He fastened the bandage with a couple clips. “That should keep your shoulder sterile until you get back to the States.” He said. Sara nodded, though she wasn’t going to be going back to the States immediately. Rather back home to Nanda Parbat. 

“So I’m all patched up and good to go?” She asked. He nodded, handing her a spare shirt. She accepted it gratefully and pulled it over her head. It was a loose v-neck t-shirt which was a great feeling compared to the tight armor she had been wearing for what felt like forever. She thanked the doctor again before leaving the tent and wandering off in search of Ava. 

III.

Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find the agent. She was watching the remaining members of the Legends squad standing around new transports, waiting for take off. Sara walked up next to Ava. “General Hunter managed to radio for backup. Now that the threat is taken care of, we could get clearance to send more supplies our way.” She said without looking at Sara. “General Hunter wants to sweep the lab at Masarov ASAP. He offered to let you tag along.” She said, finally glancing Sara’s way. 

“What about you?” Sara asked her attention fully on Ava. The agent shrugged. 

“My job here is done. For now. I’m due back to Langley to give my full report to Director Bennett.” She said stiffly. 

“Never thought about leaving the CIA? Even after everything that happened here.” Sara asked. Ava looked at Sara. 

“I have nowhere else to go. The CIA is my life. My responsibility. I know you and I don’t agree on a lot of things, but I’m sure you can respect it’s my duty to go back.” She said. Sara nodded, understanding, at least that, completely. It was one of the reasons she always returned to the League. No matter what. 

“It’s time for me to go back to Nanda Parbat as well. Nyssa will be interested to hear that I survived a brush with death. Again.” Sara smirked at the thought. Nyssa would probably be furious with her for putting herself in that situation again. Ava chuckled. She pointed at one of the spare choppers. 

“That one is prepped to take us back whenever we’re ready to leave.” She said. Sara nodded. 

“There are a few things I need to wrap up here.” She said before walking over to Amaya who was talking with Mick. The captain noticed her friend and waved. 

“Coming with us, Captain Lance?” Mick asked. Sara just shook her head. 

“I think I’ll leave the rest of this mission to you, Major Rory.” She said with a salute. He returned it respectfully before walking away to talk with Ray and Wally. Sara turned to Amaya. 

“So, back to Nanda Parbat for you?” The soldier asked. Sara nodded. 

“You know it.” She said. Amaya laughed. 

“This all seemed vaguely familiar.” She said. Sara thought back to their goodbye after their mission in Iraq together and nodded. 

“Yup. I can’t promise when or if I’ll see you again.” She said regretfully. Amaya put a hand on Sara’s good shoulder. 

“I’m sure our paths will cross again.” She said. “If you’re ever in DC, look us up. We might be there.” Sara laughed. 

“I know you and your squad. Never a moment's rest for you guys.” Amaya just shrugged. 

“We get restless. You’ve never seen Mick when he’s drunk and bored.” She laughed. Sara chuckled at the thought. 

“Jiwe! Get over here.” Mick yelled, beckoning to Amaya as the rest of the Legends boarded their transport back to Masarov. 

“Looks like duty calls,” Sara said. Amaya gave Sara’s a small, sad smile before hugging the assassin gently, careful of her wounded shoulder. 

“I see you around, Lance.” She said before running off to join her squad. Ava, who had been watching from a distance, walked up next to Sara, carefully grabbing the assassin’s hand in hers. Sara looked over at Ava who smiled. 

“I’m sure you’ll see them again.” She said. Sara huffed. 

“If I get another mission with them again, I’m turning it down.” She said grumpily. Ava chuckled.

“We should probably get going ourselves. You need to get your shoulder looked at by your friends in the League. And I need to be back to HQ.” Ava said. Sara rolled her eyes but followed Ava’s lead. 

“I still owe you dinner,” Sara said cheekily. Ava sighed.

“Yes, you do. And I still need to return the favor from earlier.” She said. Sara frowned.

“What -” She started before Ava stepped closer, leaning down and kissing Sara deeply. The assassin quickly leaned into the kiss, putting her free hand around Ava’s waist. Ava broke their kiss first with a smirk. Sara looked a little dazed for a couple seconds before regaining her composure. “I’ll have to do you more favors if that’s what it gets me,” Sara said with a smirk. 

As the two approached their chopper, Sara felt a small hand tug at her free one. Her shoulder throbbed a little, but the force wasn’t enough to make it hurt much. She looked down to see Zari standing next to her, her hand gripping Sara’s tightly. Sara looked at Ava, who nodded and let go of Sara’s hand. The assassin bent down at eye level with Zari. 

Zari spoke in rapid Romanian, looking between Sara and Ava. “She asked where you’re going,” Ava whispered. Sara gave Zari a sad little smile. 

“Tell her I’m going back home.” She said. Ava translated for Sara. Zari sniffed a little bit, holding back what looked like tears before throwing her arms around Sara’s neck. The assassin ignored the slight pain of her shoulder as she returned the hug, wrapping her own arms around Zari’s waist. The young girl said a couple more things in Romanian. 

“She wants to come with you,” Ava said softly. Sara’s heart broke a little. The League was no place for someone like Zari. Not yet at least. If the girl had a desire to become an assassin, she would certainly respect her wishes. But Zari had to remain in Moldova for the time being. Sara opened her mouth, but then closed it again. She let go of Zari, reaching into one of the holsters strapped around her leg and pulled out a small dagger. It was one of the first ones she had gotten in the League. It even had ‘League of Assassins, Class of ‘09’ inscribed on the blade as a joke. 

Sara carefully held out the dagger to Zari, who took it by the handle reverently, picking it up and looking at it in awe. “Tell her when she’s ready, to come find me. The dagger will lead her to me.” Sara said. Ava wanted to protest but also wanted to respect Sara’s wishes so she translated for Zari, who looked at Sara and nodded, setting the dagger down and hugging the assassin again. Sara smiled to herself, wrapping her arms around the young girl. 

“Ava, how do you say, ‘I’ll see you again?’” Sara asked. 

“Te voi vedea din nou.” Ava said. Sara repeated the words to Zari, who just hugged her tighter, nodding into her shoulder. Finally, Sara let the young girl go and stood up. Zari let her, picking the dagger back up and holding it at her side. Ava watched the scene unfold, wishing that she could take Zari with her. But there were laws against a CIA agent removing refugees, even orphaned ones, that she had to adhere to. Perhaps she would discuss with Sara on the way back of options to get Zari out of Moldova and into the States. Ava had grown fond of the young girl and hated to leave her. 

Sara waved goodbye to Zari who waved back before the two boarded their chopper. “She’s tough,” Ava said, looking at Zari as the pilot prepared to take off. “I’m sure you’ll see her again.” Ava reassured Sara who she knew had grown very close to the girl. Sara nodded absentmindedly. The two sat in silence as their chopper took off, leaving Moldova with all the scars they were bringing with them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. It's been a good ride. I've loved writing this story. It was a bit out of my comfort zone but well worth it I think. There's a sequel just waiting to happen here, but when that'll be, I don't know. 
> 
> I have some idea of what I want my next project to be, but I still need to outline it and stuff. It'll either be a friends to lovers Avalance basketball/soccer fic or the 3rd part of my Supercorp PJO series. Haven't committed to one yet. If you've got a preference, let me know. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who reviewed, bookmarked or left kudos. It's really been you guys that kept my motivation going for this story. Over the next few days to couple of weeks, I'll probably be going back over this story and correcting any spelling/grammar errors that made it through. I know there were plenty D:


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